The Return Of Silver Fang
by MewIchigoZoey
Summary: Sequel to An Unpredictable Journey. Silver Fang has returned, and has discovered that Kenai and Kia are really bears. Now he's looking for them..looking for revenge. KenaixOC, KodaxOC.
1. Prologue

Hello my fan fic readers! I am here today to submit the prologue of my next story "The Return Of SIlver Fang". It is the sequel to "An Unpredictable Journey", so if you haven't read the first part yet, I'd advise reading that one first. This story will make a lot more sense to you if you do so. Anyway, all I have finished so far is the prologue. It took me a long time so review, and tell me whatcha think, and I will try to update when I get home from my vacation in Colorado. Buh bye!

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All was quiet in the forest. The birds flew up ahead, singing sweetly. That was the only noise heard. Then suddenly a bush rustled, and a squirrel and a chipmunk walked out, chattering and laughing loudly, thus disturbing the peace. They were chittering so excitedly, that it was impossible to understand what the two were even saying. Then all of a sudden, the squirrel stopped, and put a paw over the chipmunk's mouth. "Shh! I think I heard something!"

Cautiously, the squirrel tip toed back into the bushes, and peeked out curiously. There he saw two moose, one bigger then the other. Across from them, sat a brown bear cub, talking a mile a minute. All of a sudden, the smaller moose took a step back and clumsily bumped into the bigger one.

"Gee eh! Watch where you're going!" The large moose, Tuke cried disgustedly. The smaller moose, who was known as Rutt angrily glared at Tuke. "I was, eh, but you got in my way!" Tuke rolled his eyes. "No, it as your twig legs that made you bump into me. I didn't get in the way!" Rutt opened his mouth to answer, but the bear cub suddenly jumped in between them. "Guys, guys! Cut it out! It was an accident!" He sighed frustratedly. "Now do you two wanna hear the story or not!"

Rutt and Tuke glared at each other, but nodded quickly as the cub questioned them. "Of course, smallish bear!" Tuke smirked. "Let's hear it, Koda."

Koda smiled and sat back down. "Okay, So like I was saying, last year, my brother and and his girlfriend went on a crazy mission!"

"What kind of crazy mission, smallish bear?" Rutt asked.

"Well, they had to go and warn the people from a village about a wolf pack that was going to attack them. You know, the village where Kenai used to live before he became a bear."

Tuke looked surprised. "But how could they do that, eh? They're bears. Wouldn't the people there, like not understand them, since they can't speak bear?"

"That's exactly what I thought!" Koda laughed. "But then Kenai told me that the Great Spirits changed him and Kia into -Hold onto your antlers!- ...Humans!"

Shocked by the sudden news, Rutt staggered backward, and almost fell into the bushes where the squirrel (who was still listening) hid. "Gee eh! They became hunters! What a shocking turn of events!"

Koda nodded. "I know! So anyways, after a long journey, Kenai and Kia finally made it to the village. There they met with Tanana, the shaman-"

"The sha-what!" Tuke interrupted, his expression confused.

Koda sighed. "You know! The shaman! The wisest of the whole group?"

Tuke nodded. "Oh yeah, eh!"

"Gee, I wonder who would be the shaman if we were a group, eh?" Rutt said suddenly.

Tuke smirked at him. "That's easy! It would be me, of course!"

"Oh.." Rutt said. He paused. "Hey wait! Why do you get to be the shaman, eh!"

Tuke smirked again. "Because," he said arrogantly, "I'm the smartest!"

"That's not true, eh!" Rutt protested.

Koda rolled his eyes. "Guys, can we please get back to the story now?"

Tuke nodded. "Okay, sorry eh."

"I still say I'd be the shaman person, eh." Rutt muttered under his breath, but he let the matter drop as Koda continued on with his tale.

"So", Koda continued, "Tanana told them to go and find Warner, a wolf who would help them defeat the enemy wolf, Silver Fang! They did find him, and they devised a plan. Oh, also this girl Aika came with them."

"You mean that white cub Aika is the same as human Aika?" Rutt asked, and Koda nodded.

"So they all came up with a plan, and in the end they managed to defeat Silver fang, just not with the plan they had expected. And then Aika came to live with us, because her own mother didn't want her..." Koda paused, to take a quick breath. "And we all lived happily ever after...The end!"

"So what happens after that eh?" Rutt asked. Koda shrugged. "I don't know...What do you mean?"

Rutt frowned. "Well, I mean, isn't there going to be some kind of a continuation, now? You know, those things where a story left off continues with a whole newer story?" Tuke rolled his eyes. "Little brother, that's called a sequel." "Oh..Beauty eh!" Rutt paused. "So, what happens now?"

Koda shrugged. "I don't know..Nothing I guess.." His ears perked up suddenly as a voice called out. "Koda!" Koda quickly turned to the moose. "Hey, I gotta go, that's Kenai! See ya' later!"

"Okay..Nice talking with you.." Rutt said. He turned to his brother. "So what should we do now eh?"

Tuke shrugged. 'I don't know..Graze?"

"Okay! Beauty!" Rutt said, and they both started to graze on some grass.

Deciding that there was nothing left, worth staying for, the squirrel in the bushes darted back to his friend. He could not believe the story he had just heard, and he was certain that his friend would not believe it either. Finally the squirrel found his friend, the chipmunk. "You'll never guess what I just heard!" He gasped breathlessly. Out of energy, he paused to catch his breath.

On the other side of the bushes, trotted a large grey wolf. He stopped to listen as the squirrel spoke. _'Hm? I think I will listen to what this creature has to say..'_ He thought to himself,_ 'I could use a good laugh.'_

"I just overheard a bear cub talking with two moose. Apparently the bear cub knows two bigger bears, Kenai and Kia."

The wolf's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he heard this, and his eyes grew wide. _'Those two meddlesome humans who ruined my plans are really bears!'_ he thought in disbelief.

The squirrel continued on with his story. "Anyways, Kenai and Kia got turned into humans, to stop this wolf pack from killing off the people in a village."

"No way!" the chipmunk squeaked.

The squirrel nodded. "Yeah, it's true! The wolf pack's leader was...Silver Fang I believe."

The Chipmunk giggled. "Silver Fang must not have been very smart, if two bears turned humans were able to foil him!"

Silver Fang could finally stand this no longer. He angrily leapt out of the bushes. "Enough!" he snarled, and the squirrel and chipmunk squealed, both of them racing off in different directions. Silver Fang growled and stalked off.

The chipmunk and squirrel came out from hiding once the was gone, and frowned. "What was HIS problem?" the squirrel asked.

The chipmunk shrugged. "I don't know...Maybe that was Silver Fang, and you made him angry."

The squirrel shook his head. "Nah! From that cub's description, Silver Fang would have looked a lot uglier!"

"Okay, if you say so.." the chipmunk said. "Let's go get some acorns..I'm hungry!"

"Okay Sounds good!" the squirrel said and they scampered away in search of food.

"So," Silver Fang said to himself, as he walked along the forest "Kenai and Kia are bears? he chuckled evilly to himself. "Kenai and Kia..I will find you, and when I do.." he dropped his voice to a whisper. "..It's payback time!"


	2. Chapter 1: One Fateful Day

I apologize for not updating this...I've been so busy, I kept forgetting to come back here! Anyways, I've typed 6 chapters of this already, so if you review I'll update again ASAP :)

**Chapter 1: One Fateful Day**

"Koda!" Kenai called as he stood in a clearing, turning his head from side to side impatiently.

"Koda!" The male brown bear called again. This time he did not bother to hide the annoyed tone in his voice.

_Come on, Koda...Hurry up!_ He thought anxiously.

Kenai had a good reason for being in a hurry. His mate, Kia, had been heavy with cubs for months, and judging from the signs shown lately, Kia was due anytime. It could even be today!

And since Kenai was to be the father, he wanted to be there, to support Kia and however many cubs they had. With Kia down, it was Kenai's responsibility to make sure the two cubs stayed out of trouble, while making sure his wife Kia was okay.

Unfortunately, Kenai was constantly having to leave his mate, everytime Koda disappeared. Aika was not nearly as bad, because she was usually by the river, fishing.

Kenai's ears swiveled upward, as he finally spotted Koda running toward him.

"There you are!" he cried. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick!"

Koda glanced down at the ground. "I'm sorry, Kenai..I was just talking with the moose.."

Kenai rolled his eyes. "Did you forget that we have to stay with Kia?" he asked.

Koda frowned. "Well...you could stay with her, but I don't need to.._You're_ her mate.."

Kenai groaned. "I would love to, Koda, but I can't. I have to keep chasing after you! It would really help if you could be more like Aika, and stay closer to the cave."

Just as Koda was about to answer, Tug walked over to them with Aika on his back.

"Hiya!" Aika greeted them, waving down with a paw.

"Hey Aika.." Kenai said distractedly. He turned back to Koda. "Well, come on Koda. We'd better get back. Kia is waiting.."

Kenai started to grab onto the cub, but Koda squirmed away, shaking his head. "Kenai, I care about Kia as much as you do, but I don't want to go back yet. I want to stay here and play!"

"Koda.." Kenai frowned.

"You go on your own, kenai..I'll be okay by myself." Koda insisted.

Kenai frowned at the cub. Ever since Koda's growth spurt, he was always acting like he didn't need Kenai's help anymore.. "Koda, I know that you've grown -a lot-, but-"

"Woah!" Tug interrupted suddenly. "Where are you off to in such a hurry, Kenai?" The big black bear put one of his big paws on Kenai's shoulder.

"It's just..Kia.." Kenai managed to say.

"Kia? What about her? Is she hurt?" Tug asked.

Kenai shook his head quickly. "No, no..Kia isn't hurt! But she _is_ expectant..It could be anytime, and.."

"You want to be there." Tug finished for him. Kenai nodded.

"But with Koda refusing to come back, I'll have to stay here with him!"

Tug smiled at Kenai. "Don't worry about it, Kenai! I'll watch both Koda and Aika for you. You just get back to Kia."

Kenai looked surprised. "Are..are you sure, Tug?" Before Tug could answer, a sharp cry pierced through the air. Kenai's eyes widened as he recognized the cry. "Kia! I've got to go to her!"

Kenai turned on his heel and ran as fast as he could. "Thanks, Tug! I owe you one!" he called over his shoulder, still running.

Tug chuckled and looked down at Koda. "Hey Koda. Want a ride?" Koda grinned. "Yeah!"

He jumped up onto the big black bear's back and seated himself next to Aika.

"Where to, kids?" Tug asked.

Koda smiled warmly at Aika. "Wherever you want to go is fine, Aika." he said nicely.

"Let's go and...see Kia...Please, Koda?" Aika asked, her blue eyes pleading with her.

"I'm really worried about her...Kia took me in, when not even my family wanted me. Now that she needs me..I want to be there..Please, Koda."

The white bear cub's words touched Koda, and he slowly nodded his head. "Okay, Aika..I understand."

The cub heaved a small sigh and glanced down at Tug. "Okay, let's go and check up on Kia, then. Aika wants to see her." he said.

Tug nodded with a laugh. "Whatever you say, Koda." The large bear said as he started toward Kenai and Kia's cave.


	3. Chapter 2: Parents!

Okies! I am ready to update this, again! Thank you very much to Nausicaa of the Spirits for the very nice review! This update's for you, since it seems you're the only one reading it...Oh well XD

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kenai, Koda or Tug. They are copywrite to Disney. I d o not own Aika, Dania, Kodi or Aquene. They belong to my friends, Kenaiscub, KateSkyWalker, Jennifer and Jackie. I only own Kia, Cherokee and this fan fic._

**Chapter 2: Parents!**

Kenai nervously poked his head around the corner of the cave entrance. "Kia?"

The white grizzly glanced up from where she lay on the ground and smiled as she spotted Kenai. "It's okay, Kenai." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her brown eyes were warm and friendly. "Come and say hello to your children."

Kenai walked all the way into the cave, and cautiously over to Kia. As he approached, Kia grinned at him weakly. Kenai finally reached Kia, and glanced down in amazement at the four fuzz balls that lay at her side.

"What do you think, Kenai?" Kia whispered softly.

For a minute, Kenai was too nervous and tongue tied to speak. He backed up a bit.

"It's okay, Kenai." Kia said, sensing his nervousness. "They won't bite...Or at least, they don't yet." she chuckled softly.

Kenai sat down next to Kia and turned one of the cubs over. She was the spitting image of Kia. "Hey, little girl. I'm your Daddy."

The little cub responded by opening her brown eyes and giving a tiny, squeaky little roar. Kenai's heart did a little flip, and he looked at his mate. "Oh, Kia. They're beautiful...just like you."

Kia pointed a paw over to two small brown cubs, that looked very much like Kenai. "..And you." she said softly, nose kissing the male brown bear.

Kenai watched proudly as one of them opened her eyes and managed to crawl over to him. "Hi sweety, my name is Kenai. I'm your Daddy." he said, picking the small brown cub up. Aside from the dark brown patch of fur on her back, she very much resembled him.

Kenai looked down at Kia. "What should we call them?" he asked softly, chuckling as the cub he was holding climbed onto his head and tried to eat his ear.

Kia smiled at him. "Well that one on your head, we can call Cherokee."

Kenai grinned and took the cub back into his arms so he could look at her. "Cherokee.." he repeated. "Beautiful, I like it!"

Cherokee suddenly glanced up at Kenai. "Guooaaar!" she exclaimed cutely and blew raspberries at her father. Kenai and Kia laughed.

"I think that means she likes her name." Kenai said softly, and his mate nodded. Kia motioned over to the white cub, who looked exactly like her.

"I was thinking we could call her Aquene." she suggested.

Kenai smiled. "Aquene..that's a good name." he said and nuzzled Kia tenderly.

Just then, his gaze stopped on a white cub with grey on her muzzle and paws. "Woah..Why does this one have grey paws, instead of brown?" he asked, picking the cub up, and placing her in front of him and Kia. He sniffed the cub curiously.

Kia shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know..But I think it makes her special, and unique."

Kenai grinned down at the grey and white ball of fur. "So it does..Well, my love, what do you want to call her?"

Kia looked at Kenai, surprised. "Surely you must have some ideas, Kenai."

Kenai flashed a small smile to her. "I have one...But I like your ideas so much better."

Kia looked at Kenai expectantly. "Well I'm all out of ideas for the moment...What's yours?"

Kenai shrugged, and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I've always thought the name Dania would be pretty for a girl...But I don't know.." He looked unsurely at Kia, waiting for her reaction.

The white grizzly grinned widely at him. "Oh, but I am. I love it! Great idea, Kenai!"

Kenai beamed. "Happy I could help... Dania it is then!"

Kenai and Kia smiled warmly at each other for a moment, then Kia turned and glanced at the last cub, who looked exactly like Kenai. "Now that just leaves you to name.." she said.

Kia paused as she thought. "...Kenai Jr.?"

Kenai shook his head after a moment. "Nah...That sounds kind of.."

"Odd." Kia finished for him in agreement, laughing.

"What can we name you, little guy?" Kenai asked the cub, though Kenai knew very well that he couldn't speak.

At that moment, Aika burst into the cave, followed by Koda and Tug. Aika ran over to Kia's side."Kia, are you okay?" she asked, her expression concerned.

Kia nodded, touched by the cub's care for her. "Yes, I'm fine..We're all fine.."

"What do you mean, 'all'.." Aika began, but didn't get a chance to finish, as she glanced down, and saw Kia and Kenai's newborn cubs. "Awww! They're SO cute!" she cried.

The unnamed cub crawled over to Koda, who sat a few feet away with Tug. "Fuzookiee!" he said, stretching his paws up towards Koda, obviously wanting to be held.

Laughing, Koda picked the cub up, being careful to hold him gently. The cub bit into Koda's ear, even though he had no teeth yet.

Koda laughed. "Wow..I'm an Uncle...I guess you can call me Uncle Koda!" he said, looking at the unnamed cub he held.

"Cugle Koa!" the cub repeated gleefully, and everyone laughed.

"That little cub sure likes you, Koda." Tug said with a chuckle.

"Well, who wouldn't?" Aika said smiling at her friend.

Kenai and Kia looked at each other quickly. "Koda! That's what we can do. name him after Koda!"

Kia smiled. "So instead of calling him Koda.We'll drop the a."

"Add an I," Kenai said, catching on, "and call him..."

"Kodi!" Kia and Kenai said together.

Koda just sat there, grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't believe that Kenai had just named his only son after him! What an honor!

Kenai just stared from his cubs to his mate. He felt so excited, he wanted to scoop her up in his arms, and just hold her and kiss her. But the female bear looked very tired, so Kenai "nose kissed" his mate instead.

Koda placed Kodi back with his mother, still grinning, then he, Tug and Aika left the cave, to give the new family some time alone.

Kenai slid down onto the ground beside his mate, watching their four new born cubs proudly. He could not believe he was a father now!

Kia turned her head so she faced Kenai, and smiled at him. "We did it, Kenai!" she exclaimed softly, though Kenai could tell she was still thrilled. "We're parents!"

"Yes we are." Kenai said warmly, nuzzling his mate. He glanced down at the four cubs, who nursed at Kia's side, then turned back to his mate.

"I love you so much.." The male bear nuzzled his head against Kia's cheek affectionately.

"I love you too, Kenai." Kia whispered, licking her mate's cheek.

Kenai placed his paw on Kia's back, and soon he, Kia and the cubs were all fast asleep, exhausted by the day's events.


	4. Chapter 3: A Lesson Learned The Hard Wa

Thanks again to Nausicaa of the Spirits for reviewing! I can update this at pretty much any time, because I've typed up a lot of chapters for it, so don't worry about asking me to. I'm happy to continue

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kenai or Koda. They are copywrite to Disney. I do not own Aika, Dania, Kodi or Aquene. They belong to my friends, Kenaiscub, KateSkyWalker, Jennifer and Jackie. I only own Kia, Cherokee and this fan fic._

**Chapter 3: A Lesson Learned- The Hard Way**

"Daddy, where are we going?" Dania asked as she, Kenai, Kia, and the other cubs walked down a path. Koda and Aika were walking farther behind.

Kenai smiled down at his daughter. "Crowberry Ridge." Was his answer.

Now Cherokee hurried over between her parents. "Crowberry _what_?" she asked, a puzzled frown on her face.

"Ridge." Kia said, giggling.

She glanced up ahead then, and gasped. Her son, Kodi was climbing into a log, pursuing a porcupine.

"Kodi! Leave that poor porcupine alone and come back here before you get hurt!"

Kodi poked his head out of the log. "Don't worry, Mama. I'll be careful!" he said and ducked back into the log.

"Kodi..please, listen to me!" Kia called, but the cub did not emerge from the log. The female grizzly sighed and turned back to her mate. "Kenai...Wait here with the cubs a minute..I've got to go get our mischievous son away from a porcupine."

Kenai nodded, chuckling. The cubs were barely a couple months old, and already they were a handful. Or should Kenai say, a pawful? Especially Kodi!

Dania, Cherokee and Aquene rolled their eyes. It seemed their brother, Kodi was always getting himself into big trouble!

Kia started toward the log she'd seen Kodi go in, but jumped back, as a fur raising cry rang out. "Yeeeooooowch!"

All of a sudden, she saw Kodi bolt from the log. He was not watching where he was going. The cub rammed himself into a tree, and just sat on the ground, momentarily dazed.

Kia hurried over to him. "Kodi, are you okay?!" she asked her son worriedly.

The white grizzly glanced over at the log behind them, just in time to see the porcupine peeking out, and shaking its paw at Kodi angrily. Kia flashed it an apologetic, toothy smile. "Sorry!" she called out.

"Alright, what did you do _this_ time, Kodi?" she asked, while wondering what Kodi had done.

The cub smiled sheepishly at his mother, not answering her.  
Kia heaved a long, low sigh.

Just last week, he had taunted a beehive until the angry bees had chased him away, stinging the cub as he ran. It had been a long time before the swelling on his face had gone down..

Then, just a couple of days ago, Kodi had convinced Dania to go exploring with him and they had stumbled up on a mother eagle's nest. Curious, the two cubs had climbed into the nest, and began to play with the newly hatched chicks. It had taken a _long_ time for Kenai to convince the upset mother that Kodi and Dania meant no harm to her children.

"Well..I.." Kodi began, but was cut off as Kia gasped sharply.  
"Kodi, give me your left paw." she said. The cub did as he was told, grinning sheepishly again.

Kia took his left paw and, to her dismay, realized she had not been seeing things. Her son's left paw had sharp porcupine quills stuck in it. "My poor Kodi.." she said sadly.

She sighed, and began to work on getting the quills out of her son's paw. It was a difficult process, because she kept jabbing herself in the face with them occasionally. But this mother would not give up just because of that. Oh no. She would just keep trying harder.

As his mother worked, Kodi explained what had happened. "I-I didn't do anything bad...ow..I just wanted to play. But that porcupine kept on ignoring me, ow! So I..I sorta pounced on him..."

The cub looked sheepishly at his mother, who had gotten all but one quill out by now. "Only..I sorta got poked...OW!" he hollered as Kia yanked on the last quill.

A few minutes later, she held it up in her mouth, triumphantly. "Got it!" Kodi flexed his paw, wincing.

Kia spit the porcupine quill out where no one would walk on it, then smiled at her son, glad that he was okay. But wait. She was the parent. She was supposed to teach a lesson out of this.

"Kodi, you really must be more careful, and obey me more, Kodi." she said, trying to look stern.

Kodi's ears drooped as he saw the angry look on his mother's face. He hated it when she was mad at him. It made him feel so bad, and very ashamed. "Sorry, mama.." the cub mumbled, his eyes on the ground in shame.

Kia's expression softened, seeing that the cub clearly felt bad about his mistake, and she nuzzled her son.

"It's okay, Kodi...I'm not mad at you..I just want you to listen better? I tell you no because I love you, not to take your fun away. Okay?"

Kodi's ears flicked back up, happy that his Mommy was no longer angry.

"Okay, Mama. I promise I'll try to do better." The small brown bear cub nose kissed his mother, then got up on all fours. However, when the cub put pressure on his left paw, he cried out in pain, and was forced to limp on three legs.

Kia examined his paw, concerned. There was a cut from where the porcupine quills had been.

As the white grizzly stood there, trying to think of a way to help Kodi, Kenai walked over with Dania, Cherokee and Aquene. Koda and Aika were still taking their sweet time, far behind them. "Is everything alright, Kia?" he asked.

"Kodi got stuck by a porcupine." Kia informed him quietly. Hearing this, the other cubs hurried over by Kodi.

"Oh my goodness...Does it hurt real badly?" Aquene asked.

"Well..It-" Kodi began, but was cut off by Dania. "Can you still walk?"

Actually, I c-"  
"Maybe you should put it in some water." Cherokee suggested, always level headed in these situations.

She had gotten used to her brother's mischievous behavior a long time ago, and often acted like his "nurse". Before Kodi could answer her, Cherokee grabbed a leaf and soaked it in a small pool of water nearby, then hurried back to her brother and pressed it light against the bottom of his paw. Kodi winced, trying not to cry out from the pressure.

Kia laughed, touched that Kodi's sisters cared so much for their brother. "Okay girls, back up and give your brother a little space now." she ordered gently.

Giggling, the three female cubs did as they were told. Kia looked at her son.

"Well dear, it doesn't look like you are going to be able to walk. Not for awhile anyways. That porcupine got you pretty good. So...How about a ride?"

Kodi nodded with a small whimper. Kia picked him up by the scruff of his neck and gently placed him on her back.

"There you go.." she said warmly, and Kodi smiled at her.

"Hey!" Cherokee suddenly said, "I want a ride too, Mommy!"

"Me too!" Dania and Aquene chorused. The three cubs hurried over to Kia and began to climb up her back.

"Me first! No me! Nu uh, _me_ first!" They all shouted, shoving one another.

One of them accidentally hit Kodi's injured paw, making him cry out. "Ouch! hey, watch it, girls! You hit my paw!"

Kia threw Kenai a look that plainly said "Help!"

Kenai nodded and spoke to the cubs. "Hey, who wants a ride on my back?"

"I do, I do!" Aquene and Dania shouted, immediately forgetting about wanting to ride on Kia's back. They jumped up onto their father's back.

Kenai laughed. "Okay..One at a time..I've got room for everyone!"

Kia smiled and licked his cheek. "Thank you." she whispered gratefully.

Kenai nuzzled his beautiful mate. "You're welcome." he whispered back.

Kia glanced back at Kodi, and was surprised to find Cherokee sitting with him.

"Cherokee..Don't you want to sit with your sisters?" Kia asked, confused.

Cherokee shook her head, and said with a smile, "I want to ride with my brother, Kodi."

Kia smiled warmly as Cherokee licked her brother's injured paw, cleaning the blood off. "Alright then." she said softly.

Kenai gently nudged her with his nose then. "Are we all ready to go now?" He asked.

Kia smiled at him. "Yeah, we're ready." she replied.

"Giddy up, Daddy!" Aquene said suddenly.

Kenai nodded, both him and Kia laughing as they continued on.


	5. Chapter 4: Arrival At Crowberry Ridge

Okay this is more like a relaxed chapter, so if you review it I'll update again today XD

**Chapter 4: Arrival At Crowberry Ridge**

"Here we are, kids. Crowberry Ridge!" Kenai announced a while later, as he and Kia (with the cubs still on their backs) came to a valley full of bushes, different berries on each.

"Yay! Berries!" The four cubs chorused. They jumped off Kenai and Kia's backs and raced off into a cluster of bushes, laughing all the way.

"Don't go too far, kids!" Kia called after them.

Kenai chuckled. "I guess Kodi's all better now." he said, watching the cub scamper off with his brothers.

"He sure is a fast healer!" Kia added with a giggle. The two bears laughed and continued walking.

"Hey guys, wait up!" came a distant voice.

Kenai and Kia immediately stopped laughing, and sniffed the air, surprised by the voice. They glanced backward as the voice called out again.

After a moment, Koda and Aika came into view. They trotted over to Kenai and Kia wearily, then collapsed on the ground, panting hard.

Koda cast an annoyed look up at Kia. "Why'd you all run off so fast?" he demanded, still breathing hard.

Kia blinked in surprise. "When was that?"

Koda slapped his forehead. "Earlier, when we were on our way here. We were all just walkin' and you suddenly ran off, then the others followed you."

Kia groaned. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Koda! You see Kodi got hurt by a porcupine, and I had to go and help him. I'm really sorry you and Aika got left behind..Can you forgive me?"

Koda's hard expression softened, and he looked sheepish. "That's why you ran off? I had no idea! I'm sorry I was mad.."

Kia smiled warmly at the cub. "It's okay Koda. Don't worry about it." That said, the white and brown grizzly scooped both Koda and Aika up into her arms and gave them a big bear hug.

"Hey, you're crushing us!" Aika joked with a giggle.

Laughing, Kia dropped the two bear cubs onto the ground. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry." she said.

Kenai nudged Kia then. "Kia...I'm getting hungry. Let's go eat!"

Kia nodded as her stomach rumbled. "Alright." She turned to Koda and Aika, who were now sprawled out on the ground, staring up at her.

"Do you two want to come eat with us? Or will you be okay on your own?" she asked.

"You two go. We'll be fine." Aika assured Kia.

"Okay then." Kia turned to her mate. "Let's go!"

"Finally!" Kenai said with a groan.

Kia licked Kenai on the cheek and ran into a berry bush, laughing. Kenai joined her, and soon the two bears were sitting side by side, happily stuffing their faces full of berries.

Meanwhile, Kodi, Dania, Aquene and Cherokee were all sitting inside a bush not too far away.

"These," Cherokee declared, plucking a blueberry into her mouth as she spoke, "are the most delicious berries ever!"

Kodi grinned and nodded. "Yeah! They're the best berries in the whole forest! No, the world! No wait, actually they're the best berries in the whole universe!"

The brown bear cub spread his paws out far apart, to show what he meant. His sisters laughed, nodding in reply.

Aquene crammed a pawful of blueberries into her mouth. "Mmm! Delicious!" she said, and frowned as her brother and sisters suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.

"What's so funny?" she asked, confusion in her eyes.

"Your muzzle!" Dania said in between giggles. "It's all covered in blueberries!"

Aquene blushed deep under her white fur. "Oh...Haha, funny.."

The white and brown bear cub rubbed her face clean with a furry paw, then turned away before the others could see her blushing.

Meanwhile, Kenai and Kia had just finished eating. Now their bellies were full of berries.

"I'm so full!" Kia groaned, rubbing her belly.

Kenai smirked at his mate. "Kia...you seem to have grown again...Are you sure you're not expectant? Or maybe you just ate a whole bush!" he teased, patting the white sow's full stomach.

Kia looked at Kenai, embarrassed and surprised. "Kenai!" she cried, and laughed softly once she'd recovered.

She gave him a good, hard shove in the shoulder then got up on all fours and took off running. She glanced back at him and stuck her tongue out, as if beckoning him to try to catch her.

"Hey! Nobody shoves me then sticks their tongue out at me and gets away with it!" Kenai said playfully.

He got up on all fours and took off after his mate. Kia screamed delightedly as he chased after her, laughing.

"You can run all you want Kia, but I _will_ catch you!" Kenai called gleefully.

Kia shook her head, still giggling. "Nu uh! I won't _let_ you!" she shot back teasingly.

"Just watch me!" Kenai took a flying leap and landed on top of Kia. This caused Kia to lose her balance, and the two grizzlies went tumbling down a hill. They stopped with a crash at the bottom.

Kenai glanced down and laughed. "See Kia? I told you I'd catch you!" he said, smirking down at his mate, triumphantly.

Kia glared teasingly at the male grizzly, who lay on top of her. "Well you won't get so lucky next time!" she said, sinking her teeth into one of Kenai's ears.

"Hey, quit it!" Kenai said, laughing.

"Then get off of me!" Kia said with a smirk.

Kenai got up off of Kia, and the white bear got up to her paws, shaking her head. "Woah..what a tumble..I'm dizzy!" she mumbled.

Kenai rubbed against her fur. "Me too..Dizzy for you that is." he said flirtily.

Kia chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Oh Kenai! You're such a flirt!"

The two bears laughed. Then Kenai glanced back up the hill.

"Well I guess we should go find the cubs now.." he said reluctantly.

Kia nodded, also reluctant. "Yeah, you're right, I guess." she said with a sigh as she and Kenai started up the hill.


	6. Chapter 5: Shocking News

OMG! I am so sorry to have kept you guys waiting for so long! First off, I've been limited to an hour a day on the computer, so I keep on running out of time to update...I know! To make up for the long wait I'll post more than one chapter! How's that? XD Anyway...enjoy, and don't forget to review! It inspires me to keep on writing :D

**Chapter 5 Shocking News**

"Kenai! Kia! Where are you two?!" a wolf cried as he ran frantically through the forest. His fur was light grey, and his underbelly was white. He also had silver eye patches, a silver streak going down his back, and a white tip on his tail. "Kenai! Kia!"

Kenai and Kia were nearby, still making their way up the hill when suddenly, Kenai place a paw in front Kia, stopping her.

"Kenai, what are you-" Kia began, but stopped as the male brown bear placed a paw to his mouth.

"Shhh! Listen! Do you here that?"

The two bears remained silent, listening as the call rang out again, sounding closer every time. "Kenai! Kia! Where _are_ you bears?!"

Kia's eyes grew lightly larger. "Warner?" she called out, raising her head towards the sky.

"Is that you, Kia? It's me, Warner! Where are you?" the voice answered. "Is Kenai there with you?"

"Yeah I'm with her!" Kenai called out. "Where are _you_ Warner?"

"Right here!" Kenai and Kia glanced at each other in confusion.

"Okay..um Warner..where exactly _is_ here?" Kenai called out.

"Right.."- a nose poked out from a bush, followed by the rest of Warner- "..here!"

"Warner! There you are!" Kia exclaimed delightedly, a grin across her muzzle. Her smile faded though, as warner approached, his usual cheerful expression replaced by a serious and very grim one. "...What's the matter?"

Warner continued to look serious as he spoke. "Just yesterday, I was walking around the forest when suddenly I heard someone coming. So I hid in the bushes and waited. As I watched, Silver Fang himself appeared, and he was talking about you two!"

Kenai just smirked. "It's okay Warner. Silver Fang doesn't know we're bears, he thinks we're humans!"

Warner shook his head vigorously. "Somehow he did find out! And he's plotting his revenge on you two!" The wolf paused, waiting for Kenai and Kia's reactions.

"He-He knows we're bears? Oh no!" Kia cried. "Kenai what'll we do?! What if he finds us?" To make herself feel safer, Kia scrunched up next to Kenai and nuzzled against his side.

Kenai was just as panicked as Kia was, but he tried not to show it as he spoke to Warner. "S-Silver Fang knows we're bears?" he gulped.

Warner nodded his head sadly. "I'm afraid so.." He sighed. Then suddenly he realized something that made a smile spread across his face. "Hey..Silver fang may know you're bears, but he can't possibly know what you look like!"

Kenai glanced up from where he sat on the ground with a trembling Kia, in a comforting hug. "Come again?" he said.

Warner's smile grew now. "That's right! All Silver fang knows is you two are bears. He can't possibly know which bears you are!"

Kia stopped trembling and turned to face the wolf. "I..If he doesn't know what we look like..." she began.

"Then we're safe!" Kenai continued for her, "As far as Silver Fang knows we're just two normal bears raising our four cubs!"

Kia grinned. "Yeah!" Then a moment later she stopped and her smile faded away as a horrible thought struck her. "The cubs!"

She looked worriedly at Kenai and Warner. "What if at sometime, the cubs -or just one of them- run into Silver Fang? They don't know who he is, so they wouldn't know not to tell him who their parents are! Then Silver Fang would know he just had to follow our cubs home to get to us!"

Kenai's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that! The male brown bear turned to the white female grizzly. "I guess..we could tell the cubs about Silver Fang, to avoid that problem." he said, after a moment's hesitation.

Kia shook her head. "No we can't, because then we'd have to tell them about us being humans too.."

Kenai nodded his head, looking uncomfortable.

"How would we explain that to them when they're still so young? They're afraid of humans." Kia added.

Kenai glanced at Warner for help, but the wolf just shrugged helplessly and said, "I don't know anything about raising kids."

Kenai turned back to Kia. "Okay, then what do you want us to do?" he asked quietly, realizing how loud their discussion had gotten.

If Silver Fang had been nearby he would surely have overheard them! Kia frowned as she thought this over.

"I think we should take the kids home before we do anything. I don't want to risk anyone getting hurt--especially not them."

Kenai nodded in agreement. "You are right. The cubs have to come first."

Warner glanced at the two grizzly bears. "So what are you going to do after you take your kids home?" he asked.

"We're going to search the forest for Silver Fang." Kia answered for Kenai. "We have to be sure the forest is safe for our cubs."

Warner looked at Kenai. The brown grizzly just shrugged his shoulders, as if to say "She's the boss", then turned back to his mate.

"Okay Kia. That sounds like a good idea. We'll do that."

"I'll come too, just in case you guys do meet up with Silver Fang." Warner said quickly.

Kenai and Kia exchanged a glance then nodded. "Okay. Let's go and get the cubs then."

Kenai and Kia started back up the hill they'd tumbled down before. Halfway up, Kenai glanced back at Warner.

The grey and silver wolf was just standing at the bottom of the hill, watching them.

"Aren't you coming, Warner?" Kenai called out.

Warner shook his head and backed up a few steps. "Somehow I don't really think a wolf would be welcome at the Salmon Run...Not with so many bears there.." He smirked. "I'll just wait for you back here."

Kenai opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it. Warner was right. The other bears might not be too happy to see a wolf. Even a friendly one.

"Okay then, Warner. Kia and I will come back soon." he called to the wolf then resumed walking up the hill.

Once Kia and Kenai had reached the top, they looked around for their cubs. It didn't take them long to spot their four cubs, as well as Koda and Aika, sitting over by a salmon berry bush. They were all stuffing their faces full.

It was Kenai who was the first to speak up. "Okay kids. Time to go home."

"Aww! Do we _have_ to?!" All six cubs chorused.

Kenai nodded. "Yes we do."

Koda ran over to Kia and looked up at her. "But why? We're not ready!" he said.

"I'm sorry, kids. There's no time to explain." Kia said. Then she lowered her head down to Koda. "But Kenai and I will tell you and Aika what's up later." she whispered.

Koda nodded, but he still looked sad to go. Then Kodi, Dania, Cherokee, Aquene, Koda and Aika climbed reluctantly onto Kenai and Kia's backs.

Kenai and Kia nodded to each other, then started for home, the six cubs on their backs still protesting the whole way..


	7. Chapter 6: Koda Is Worried

**Chapter 6: Koda Is Worried**

Aika waited until they had gotten back to the Salmon Run, and the younger cubs had run off to play, then she walked over to Kia and whispered in her ear. "Why did we have to come back, Kia?"

Kia waited until Kenai had called Koda over too, since they both needed to hear what she was about to say. 

"Do you remember when Warner helped us to stop Silver Fang from killing Kenai's village?" Kia began once Koda had come over.

Aika nodded. "Yeah I remember.."

Koda just listened quietly. Kenai had told him the story of Silver Fang before, so he knew what they were talking about.

"While we were at Crowberry ridge, Kenai and I ran into Warner. He's just seen Silver Fang.."

"And..?" Koda asked. 

"And he's out looking for us, to get his revenge." Kenai finished quietly.

"So? He doesn't know you two are bears, right?" Aika cut in.

Kia sighed. "Unfortunately..."Yes, he does."

"What?!" Koda and Aika both shrieked.

"How-how'd he find out?" Koda stammered. He was really beginning to look nervous.

Kenai and Kia exchanged worried glances.

"I..we don't know exactly how he found out." Kenai said after a moment's hesitation.

"So Silver Fang could just sneak up on you and attack?" Koda whimpered. Now there was no hiding how scared he was.

Aika saw him shivering, and gave Koda a comforting hug, even though she too was beginning to feel a bit worried. 

"Well, yes and no." Kia replied. "What I mean is..is.." she trailed off.

Kenai jumped to her rescue. "What she means, is Silver Fang is missing an important piece of information..He has no idea what we look like."

Koda and Aika let out sighs of relief. "So you're safe?" Koda asked.

Kenai smiled. "We're safe, Koda." he answered.

"Phew!" Koda wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. "For a minute there, I thought you guys were in danger!"

For the first time in a while, the cub looked, not like the bigger cub he'd grown to be, but a small, dependent little cub. "I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you...I still need you guys!"

Kia smiled, and winked at Kenai. "But Koda, you're almost old enough to care for yourself, without us." she said.

It was hard to tell if she was being serious or not. Koda's eyes widened. "I know, but I love you guys! You're my family!" he hugged them both.

"I love you guys too!" Aika chimed in, joining in the hugging. 

After a moment, Koda pulled away and stared at the two larger bears. "Are..are you guys gonna make me leave when I get bigger?" he asked worriedly. Fear was in the cub's eyes.

Kia reached down and took Koda in her arms. "Of course not, Koda! You can leave whenever you are ready..Either way, you'll always have a family...all of us."

Kenai grinned, nodding his head in agreement. His mate sure had a way with words!

Kenai picked up Aika, and folded, her, Koda and Kia into a great big bear hug.

Aika smiled. She knew that no matter what happened, Kenai and Kia would always be there to look out for her, just like they had when she was human. Back then, Aika hadn't had much of a family. Her own mother didn't care for her! But now everything was different. Now Aika had a family with Kenai, Kia, their cubs and Koda too. She might even like Koda as more than just a great friend, but she didn't want to admit it.

A moment later, the hug was broken and Kenai looked at Koda and Aika seriously. "Koda..Aika...Would you two be okay to watch Dania, Kodi, Cherokee and Aquene for awhile? Kia and I have something important to do."

Koda and Aika nodded slowly. "I think so..But one question. Where are you going?" Aika asked.

"We're supposed to meet Warner back at Crowberry Ridge." Kia said quickly. "Then we're going to search the forest for Silver Fang. We have to make sure it's safe for you two and our cubs."

At that moment, Koda jumped up and wrapped his paws around Kenai's paw tightly. "No! You can't go!" he cried.

Kia glanced at Kenai, bewildered, and he shrugged, just as shocked.

"You can't go! Silver Fang's gonna get you!" Koda said with a little sob.

Kenai picked his brother bear up and looked him in the eye. "Listen, Koda. I promise you Kia and I are going to be fine. If we meet Silver Fang, he has no way of knowing who we are. So don't worry about us so much. Okay?"

Koda sighed, giving in at last. "Okay.." 

Ten minutes later, Koda and Aika were sitting with the younger cubs, watching Kenai and Kia walk away.

"Good bye, kids!" Kia called with a wave of her paw. "We'll be back soon."

"Be good for Aika and Uncle Koda, alright?" Kenai added.

"Okay, bye!" the four cubs chorused.

Aquene got up on her hind legs and shouted, "Bye-bye, Mommy and Daddy! You be good too, okay?"

Kenai, Kia, Koda and Aika all looked away. It was all they could do to keep from laughing. Then Kenai and Kia left, the cubs' cheerful farewells still ringing in their ears.

Only one cub was not smiling, as the larger bears left, and that cub was Koda.

"Goodbye, you guys." He said, his voice barely above a whisper as he waved to Kenai and Kia's departing forms. "Be careful. Very, very careful.."


	8. Chapter 7: A Close Call

**Chapter 7: A Close Call**

"So, what are we supposed to do if we find Silver Fang?" Kia asked as she, Kenai and Warner walked quietly through the forest.

Kenai shrugged. "I'm not sure yet."

"One thing is for sure." Warner said in sudden realization. "You two can't risk being seen with me. If you do find Silver Fang and I'm with you, it would not take him too long to figure out who you guys are."

Kia sighed. "That's true."

"Why don't we split up?" Kenai suggested.

So it was decided that Kenai and Kia would search the North area of the forest, and Warner the West. The two grizzly bears and the wolf wished one another good luck, then went their separate ways.

"So," Kia said a while later, "What are we supposed to do if we _do_ meet up with Silver Fang?"

"We definitely can't tell him who we are." Kenai replied. "I think we should have alternative names." he added.

Kia grinned at the suggestion. "Yeah! Then just in case we find Silver Fang, and he asks us our names, he still won't know who we are!" She smirked. "Very sneaky.."

Kenai nodded. "Okay..My name will be..." He paused and put his paw to his forehead, thinking hard. "Sitka!" he decided after a few minutes.

Kia giggled. "You're going to use the name of your brother?" she asked. "How very...original!"

Kenai rolled his eyes at Kia's teasing. "Yeah.." Then he smirked at her. "And what is going to be _your_ name, Kia?"

"I will call myself Speckles." Kia said after she thought it over.

Kenai held back a laugh. "_Speckles_?" he repeated in a strained voice, still trying not to laugh.

"Yes, my name will be Speckles, because I have brown speckles on my fur. So there!"

Kenai smirked, but said nothing else about the white bear's name choice. She'd obviously made up her mind. Kia felt surprised when he didn't laugh, but she remained silent as they moved along..

Nearby, a large, grey wolf pounded through the forest. Silver Fang. He glanced around, his eyes narrowed in anger. _'Where can those bears be?!'_ he thought to himself. _'They've got to be **somewhere** in this forest!'_

"Raaawwwwwrrr!" Out of frustration, the large, grey wolf snatched up a twig in his jaws and snapped it in half, growling under his breath. "Maybe I should ask around...Kenai and Kia must know other bears...Surely there must be someone who can tell me where to find them." he muttered.

Just as Silver Fang said this, he heard what sounded like laughing. The wolf glanced up ahead, and saw two bears; one white and light brown, and the other brown with darker brown spots._'I'll ask them.'_ he decided to himself, and started toward them.

Kia glanced ahead and nearly fainted. Coming towards her was the one, the only..Silver Fang! A wave of panic washed over her. Why was he coming to them? Had they somehow blown their cover? Could Silver Fang have possibly overheard them discussing their alternate names?

Kenai noticed his mate's worried look. He leaned over and whispered softly in the white sow's ear. "Just stay cool." he advised.

Kia nodded, but her countenance was still filled with worry.

"Hello, bears." Silver Fang said when he had reached the two bears. He decided he had better seem friendly, if these two bears were to give him any answer. "I am searching for a couple of bears. They're umm..friends of mine." he paused. "Their names are Kenai and Kia..I was hoping you'd seen them."

Silver Fang looked so hopeful, that Kia almost lauhged outloud right then, but she bit her lip.

"Kenai and Kia?" Kenai repeated. He sat down and scratched his chin, pretending to think hard. "Yeah..I think two bears with those names passed through here this morning." He smiled secretly at Kia. "They asked us if we could give them directions to Bear Claw Mountain, so I'd assume that's where they went."

Silver Fang tried to hide the evil look of pure delight that was on his face. "How long ago was that?" he asked.

Kia placed a paw on her chin, pretending to be deep in thought. "25 minutes ago." she said.

Unfortunately, at that same time Kenai said, "An hour ago."

The two bears glanced nervously at one another. "An hour!" Kia said, and Kenai said, "25 minutes!" Again, they exchanged nervous, wide eyed glances.

"Well, which is it?!" Silver Fang demanded impatiently. He eyed Kia and Kenai suspiciously. "There's something funny about you two, but I can't put my paw on it."

"N-nothing's wrong! We just messed up!" Kia blurted out nervously.

Kenai nodded hastily in agreement. "Yeah, it really was an hour and 25 minutes ago that Kenai and Kia left...I just forgot about how many minutes." The brown grizzly gave Silver Fang what he hoped was a convincing smile.

Silver Fang nodded, but he still seemed suspicious. "And what did you say your names were?" he asked.

"My name's Sitka." Kenai lied. "And this is my mate, Speckles."

Silver Fang studied him and Kia, frowning. Then he turned his back and began to walk away. "Hmpphh! Love bears..that's what's going on with those two!" he muttered under his breath. "Thank you for your help, Sitka and Speckles." he said over his shoulder.

"Don't mention it!" Kenai called back, holding back a nervous laugh.

Kenai and Kia both waited until Silver Fang was long gone, then they burst into relieved laughter.

"Wow! That was a close one!" Kenai said. "I can't believe we pulled it off!"

Kia nodded, still laughing too hard to say anything.

It had been difficult, but they'd fooled Silver Fang..Instead of going to look for them at the Salmon Run, the wolf was now on his way to Bear Claw Mountain..


	9. Chapter 8: Koda the Sea Monster

Thank you again to Nausicaa of the Spiritsfor reviewing! I wish more people were reading and reviewing this, but oh well XD I'm glad you like this so far, Nausicaa, and again I apologize about my forgetting to update...Anywho, on with the story!**  
**

**Chapter 8: Koda the Sea Monster**

"Man, I'm bored."

"What can we do now?"

"No, not that again!"

"When are Mommy and Daddy coming back?"

All this was what Koda and Aika were dealing with; Bored, whining cubs and question after question!

Aika sighed, rolling her eyes as Aquene asked the same question, yet again. "When are Mommy and Daddy coming back?"

"Soon." The white bear said shortly. Aika hadn't meant to sound cross, but she was so worried about Kenai, Kia and Warner. They had been gone for hours.

Normally, Aika never worried if Kenai and Kia disappeared for a long time. It usually turned out that they'd gone off together for some alone time.

But now, things were different. They were out looking for an evil wolf, not fooling around with one another!

And Aquene's question, when they'd come home kept on making Aika feel more and more anxious, and worried.

"What can we play now, Aika?" Cherokee asked, walking over to the bigger white and brown bear cub.

"We've already done everything. Twice." she added quickly, and heaved a small sigh.

Aika let out a small groan and lay on the ground, placing her paws over her ears, her eyes shut tight.

Koda heard Aika's frustrated groan and hurried over to her and the cubs.

"Hey guys, why don't you go and climb a tree?" he suggested, sensing that Aika wanted them to leave her alone.

"We already did." Dania declared glumly, and the other cubs nodded.

Koda decided to try something else. "Umm..how about you play Tag in the water?"

Kodi's ears perked up at this idea. "We haven't done that yet!" he said with a smile.

"Kodi's right!" Dania said cheerfully.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Cherokee asked. "Let's go!"

Laughing delightedly, the four cubs raced out into the river, chasing and splashing one another.

Koda scooted closer to Aika and looked down at her. "Hey Aika, what's the matter..?" he asked with concern as he saw her worried face.

Aika got herself into a sitting position and frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Koda returned her frown with his own. "You just seem.." he paused before going on. "I don't know. Upset. I just want to know why."

Aika glanced down at her reflection in the river, and kicked a small rock into the water with another small sigh.

"I'm just worried about Kenai and Kia. Shouldn't they be home pretty soon?" "You're starting to sound like Aquene." Koda teased, but Aika said nothing.

She just lowered her head sadly, making the brown bear cub feel bad. "Aika...I'm sorry, I didn't mean it.." He sighed.

To be honest, Koda didn't know when his brother and his mate were supposed to get back. But when he saw how sad Aika looked, Koda knew he had to at least try to be positive, no matter how doubtful he was feeling.

"I bet they'll be home soon." he told the white and brown bear cub. "Aika, don't feel bad about worrying for them. I'm kinda scared too."

Aika turned her head and faced him wordlessly. She managed a small smile. "Thanks." she said, her voice barely above that of a whisper.

"Don't even mention it." Koda said with a sigh of relief.

Now that his friend felt a little better, maybe it was the right time for him to tell her something. He blushed a bit as this idea came to him, but didn't wave it away.

"Aika?" he said nervously.

Aika's bright, blue eyes stopped on the brown cub, curious. "Yes, Koda?" she asked.

Koda cleared his throat, sweating nervously and shuffled his paw. It touched Aika's and they both blushed awkwardly.

"I just wanted to tell you..We've been through a lot together, and I feel.."

The cub blushed and cleared his throat again. "I don't know..I feel different about you than I did when we met last year. I think, I um.." The cub paused.

This was the hardest part. He stopped and stared awkwardly into Aika's big blue eyes, not knowing how to say it.

"Go on.." Aika encouraged Koda, her eyes full of what looked to be...could it be hope?

She was beginning to think she knew what he would say and she hoped he would say it soon.

Koda tried again. "Well, I still like you...but I think now that I might even lo-"

At that moment, a dripping wet Kodi ran up and pushed Koda forward. He gasped, wide eyed as he pitched forward into the river, face first.

"Tag! You're It, Uncle Koda!" Kodi called after him gleefully.

Aika watched, wide eyed for Koda to emerge, along with the four cubs.

A moment later, Koda walked up out of the water, covered in seaweed. He groaned and plopped down onto the ground, a few feet away from Aika and the four younger cubs.

Kodi, Aika and Dania look at Koda and immediately burst out laughing.

Cherokee leaned over and whispered in her sister, Aquene's ear. "Uncle Koda looks really silly!"

Aquene nodded with a giggle. "Uh huh!"

The two cubs joined in laughing at their Uncle.

"Look at Uncle Koda!" Kodi giggled. "He's a sea monster!"

This made them all laugh even harder. Koda groaned in annoyance and shook the seaweed from his dripping fur.

Then he started to make his way over to the others-- only to slip and fall face first into a pile of mud! When he stood back up, his face was covered in mud.

"Now Uncle Koda's a mud monster!" Kodi teased, laughing so hard he had to hold his sides, and almost fell on his back.

Koda growled and shook the mud from his face, then stomped angrily over to Kodi. "Why'd you do that?!" he demanded angrily.

Kodi shrank back in fear and surprise, by his Uncle's angry behavior. "We-we were playing Tag..and you were It." he whimpered in a small voice.

"I never said I was playing!" Koda growled angrily, his tone rising higher with each word.

"You're such a trouble maker, Kodi! I don't know how or why your parents even put up with you!"

The cub turned and angrily began to stomp off, only to slip again and fall splat! In the same mud puddle from before.

Everyone but Aika and Kodi (who was still in shock by his uncle's behaviour) was laughing again, as Koda stood back up and with a heavy sigh, shook the mud from his fur again.

"Koda, are you alright?" Aika asked, hurrying over to him.

Koda nodded. "Yeah, I think so.."

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two cubs.

"So... what were you going to say?" Aika asked, in an effort to break the tension.

"Well...I as gonna say that I think I.." Koda glanced up then, and saw the four younger cubs listening intently to their conversation.

He sighed and looked back at the anxious Aika.

"...I think..I need to go get myself cleaned up.." This wasn't what he'd wanted to say, but Koda didn't want to say it while the others were listening..

Heaving a sad sigh, the dripping brown bear cub turned and walked away, his head hung low.

"Koda, wait!" Aika called, but he didn't stop.

The white and brown bear cub turned to Kodi and his siters.

"You four stay right here..I have to go help your Uncle Koda..Be good and stay put!" That said, Aika turned and ran after Koda.

Kodi watched her, until she disappeared out of sight. Then he turned and ran into the forest.

His sisters hurried off after him, protesting, and reminding him that they were supposed to stay put, but Kodi didn't stop running..So neither did they.

Poor Koda and Aika..Had they known what was going to happen, they surely would never have left Kodi, Dania, Cherokee and Aquene alone..


	10. Chapter 9: No Longer Wanted

I know this is short, but it's still an update...This is especially for my reader (You know who you are!) :D

**Chapter 9: No Longer Wanted**

"Warner! Where are you?" Kia called. She and Kenai had decided to go find their wolf friend, after they had fooled Silver Fang into leaving.

Now both bears were walking through the forest, searching for Warner. Kia couldn't wait to tell him what had just happened with Silver Fang. Boy would he have a good laugh!

"Warner!" Kia stopped walking and sniffed the air for her friend's scent. A smirk spread across her face as she caught his scent nearby. He was in the bushes, behind her.

Kenai, having stopped to see what was keeping Kia tried not to laugh, as she crept stealthily away, then behind the bushes.

She looked at Kenai and winked, placing a paw to her mouth as the bushes rustled slightly. Kia crouched down low, and pounced into the bushes! "Rooooooooooaaaaarrrrrr!" she yelled.

"Yikes!" came a cry from the bushes. Kenai hid a smile as Warner the wolf leapt out of the bushes, and ran behind him.

"There's something in those bushes!" He gasped, eyes wide. The wolf's voice was so shrill, he couldn't believe it was actually his!

Kenai finally could hide his smile no longer and he laughed. "It's only Kia, Warner!" he exclaimed.

Warner looked at the brown bear in disbelief. "What do you mean, Kia?" he asked.

At that moment, the white and brown bear walked out of the bushes, grinning slyly at Warner. "Sorry...Did I scare you, Warner?" she asked innocently, an angelic, yet sneaky smile on her muzzle.

Warner's jaw dropped. "Kia!! Why'd you...? I mean...How could you do that?!"

Kenai smirked and flashed Kia a sneaky smile. "What do you mean, Warner?" he asked in a small, innocent voice equal to Kia's. "Weren't you just trying to do the same thing to Kia?"

The grey-silver wolf tried to pretend he didn't understand. "What? Kenai, I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Warner, save your lie...Kenai and I can see right through it!" Kia exclaimed.

She and Kenai slapped each other a high five with their paws, and smiled at one another before bursting into laughter.

Warner sank to the ground and rolled his eyes, displeased that he'd be caught in his fib.

--

Meanwhile, Kodi was sitting up on a large, pointed rock, surrounded by his three sisters. They all bore unhappy faces.

However, the cub who looked the saddest was Kodi. His eyes were bright with tears that threatened to fall any minute. "I've never seen Uncle Koda get so mad.." he said sadly.

"Yeah...especially not at you...You two are best pals!" Aquene pointed out.

Cherokee saw her brother's face sadden more at these words, and she gave Aquene a sharp nudge in the side. "Not helping!" she whispered loudly.

Aquene moved away from Cherokee and stuck her tongue out at her. "Sorry!"

"I don't think Uncle Koda wants me around anymore.." Kodi said, trying to hold back a sob.

Dania got up on her hind legs and leaned against the rock Kodi was on, so she could see him better. "Kodi, don't say that! Uncle Koda loves you!" she cried, her voice filled with emotion.

Kodi didn't say anything. he just turned his back so he wasn't facing her. "I don't think he does...Not anymore."

The cub heaved a sad little sigh. "I don't get it. We used to have fun together. But lately..for some reason, all he wants to do is talk with Aika!" The cub lowered his head sadly. "He's really changed.."

Cherokee climbed up onto the rock beside Kodi. "I think Uncle Koda hasn't changed..He just kinda..you know..likes Aika. I think he's in-"

Before Cherokee could finish, Kodi held a paw up. "Don't say it! I don't want to know...I already know! He loves her!"

Cherokee looked surprised, and even a bit hurt. "I'm sorry, Kodi. I was only trying to help." she put a paw on her big brother's shoulder, in an attempt to comfort him, but he just pushed her away.

"I know what you're trying to do!" he cried. "You're trying to tell me that even though Koda's in..love" -he spat this word as if it were poison- "he still cares for me! Well you know what? You're wrong!"

Cherokee drew back, looking like she'd been slapped. "Kodi?!"

"Just leave me alone! All of you!" Kodi cried. He rose to his feet and jumped up the rock, flying over Aquene's head.

Then, without another word, the cub turned on his heel and ran deeper into the forest.

Dania, Aquene and Cherokee exchanged wide eyed glances, then quickly got up and ran after their brother, calling "Kodi! Come back!"


	11. Chapter 10: Lost!

Thanks for the review again, my one reader. And again, I apologize for not updating. I have been so darn busy! I've been trying to get money to go to camp (which is two days after Christmas..oyy..) and also I've been dealing with a lotta drama.. I'll make it up to you though. I will go and put up every chapter I ahve typed so far! Think of it as a..um...Christmas present! XD**  
**

**Chapter 10: Lost!**

Once Kenai and Kia had been able to stop laughing, Kenai glanced upward, and saw the Spirits already beginning to streak across the sky. He looked back at Kia. "Hey Kia. It's getting late. Why don't we go home?" he said.

Kia nodded her head in agreement, gazing at the sky as the sun was starting to set. "Okay. Let's go!" she replied.

After much persuasion, and promising that no bears would attack him, Warner agreed to accompany them, so the two bears and the wolf set out, once again. Only this time, they were not leaving home..they were headed home.

Meanwhile, Koda sat by the river, wiping away all signs of mud from his fur. He was so upset, he didn't even notice when Aika came and sat beside him. "Koda?" she said softly.

Koda glanced away and sighed. "Hello, Aika.." he said quietly.

"Are you okay?" Aika asked. This was answered by a stiff nod of the brown bear cub's head. The white and brown bear cub sighed. "You're mad at me, aren't you?"

For the first time during the whole conversation, Koda turned and looked at Aika. "Why would I be mad at you?" he asked, looking confused.

Aika glanced at him, her normally bright blue eyes dull with guilt. "Because...I laughed at you." she answered uncomfortably.

As he heard this, Koda glanced back down at the water, glumly. "I'm not mad at you." came his sullen reply. He paused awhile before speaking again. "I'm...mad at Kodi."

Aika felt both relieved, yet sad by this news. She tilted Koda's chin up so he looked into her eyes. "Koda...I know you're upset, but you have to try to understand. Kodi is still a cub...A young, carefree, playful cub. Don't you remember what it was like to be his age?" she asked.

Koda's face brightened a little at this. "Yeah..I remember. I always used to play pranks on Kenai and Kia.." he chuckled at these memories.

"You still do play pranks on them!" Aika pointed out with a little giggle.

Koda laughed. "Oh yeah! That's right!" He paused and sighed softly. "I guess I shouldn't have been so hard on Kodi.."

Aika placed a reassuring paw on her friend's shoulder. "It's never too late to apologize, Koda." she said. "I'm sure that if you just talk to Kodi and say you're sorry, he'll forgive you."

A small, yet hopeful smile began to form on Koda's face as Aika spoke. "You-you really think so?" he asked.

Aika nodded, her eyes shining. "I know so!"

"Well what am I waiting for then?" Koda exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. "I'm gonna go find Kodi and make things right!" Koda turned and ran in the opposite direction.

Aika smiled, heaving a sigh as she watched him running. Then, all of a sudden, Koda raced back to her and gave her a quick lick on the cheek! Aika blushed deeply in surprise.

"That's to say, thank you for your help!" Koda said quickly, blushing awkwardly as he saw Aika's bewildered look. He hesitated, not knowing what else to say. Then, still tongue tied,the cub turned and ran off once again to find Kodi. Aika just sat there watching as he left, still blushing furiously.

--

Kodi! Where are you? It's me, Uncle Koda! Can I talk to you? I'm not mad..please..Kodi?" Koda called out as he searched high and low for his young nephew. "Kodi! Where are you?"

Koda looked in all of Kodi's favorite hiding places, and even in some places where he sometimes took his nephew, but still there was no sign of Kodi. Strangely, Kodi wasn't the only one missing. Dania, Aquene and Cherokee seemed to have vanished as well. After checking all the places once more, Koda trudged back to the cave.

There, he found Aika licking her paws clean, having just finished some tasty berries. She looked at Koda expectantly as he plopped down beside her. "So..how'd it go with Kodi?" she asked. Koda glanced worriedly at Aika. "I couldn't find him..or his his sisters!"

"What?!" Aika cried. "But-but I left them in that clearing by the river earlier..They should still be there!" This was all met by a frown and sad shake of her friend's head.

"I looked for them everywhere, Aika, but they're nowhere to e found." he paused and looked down at his paws. "I'm afraid they must have...run away.."

Aiak was about to answer when they heard a shar gasp behind them. The two cubs whirled around and saw Kenai, Kia and Warner standing behind them.

"Oh..haha, hi.." Aika said, waving awkwardly.

Kia's eyes were wide with shock, and Kenai looked pale. Warner also looked shocked. "What do you mean they ran away?!" Kia cried.

"Come on now, out with it! What happened?!" Kenai demanded, his fear causing him to sound angrier than usual.

Koda and Aika glanced uneasily at one another, then they began to tell their story..

--

"Kodi! Don't do this! Uncle Koda loves you!" Cherokee cried. She, Aquene and Dania were all trying to talk their brother out of running away. Kodi turned and looked at his sisters, his ears flat against his head in sadness. "He doesn't need me...Not now that he's got Aika!" he cried unhappily.

"Of course he does.." Dania said gently. She walked forward and hugged her brother. "You're his only nephew, Kodi, and that makes you extremely special to him. You two can do all kinds of guys stuff that Aika doesn't like to do..So you see, Uncle Koda still needs and loves you very much!"

Kodi sniffled, hugging his sister back. Then Cherokee and Aquene joined in, making it a group hug.

"We love you too." Aquene said, once the hugging had stopped. "You're our only brother. Sure you get us all into a lot of trouble, but you're still fun to be with!"

"Please come home, Kodi!" Cherokee chimed in.

Kodi sighed. "Well..if you girls think Uncle Koda still wants me..." he smiled. "Okay."

His sisters cheered happily. "Hurray! Let's go home before Mommy and Daddy get home!" Aquene said.

Kodi nodded. "Okay!" He glanced around and gulped. "Just one little question: Where is home?"

His sisters glanced around. The forest was dark, and everything looked all the same. They were lost!

"What'll we do?" Cherokee asked worriedly.

"I guess we'll just have to stay here until morning comes." Dania said sadly.

Nodding with reluctant agreement, the four cubs lay down close together and tried to fall asleep..

--

When Koda and Aika had finished their story, they glanced at Kia for her reaction.

"Kodi, Dania, Cherokee and Aquene...All gone? Oh Kenai!" The white and brown female bear burst into tears.

Kenai folded her up in a tight, comforting hug. "I can't believe they all ran away!" Kia sobbed, making Koda and Aika feel all the more guilty.

"Don't cry, Kia..Please. We'll find them. I know we will!" Kenai said in a strained voice, patting his wife's back as tears streamed down his face. "We'll find them...I promise!"


	12. Chapter 11: Strange Dreams

**Chapter 11: Strange Dreams**

"Mama! No! You can't be d-" Kodi gasped. He opened his eyes and quickly sat up, breathing hard. He glanced around him and saw the forest. It was early morning.

"Phew! It was just a bad dream." Kodi remarked, still trembling.

It had all seemed so real. First, he'd been running through the forest as fast as he could. Then he had skidded to a halt in a clearing, where he saw his mother sprawled out on the grass, covered in blood. It was so scary, Kodi was all the more relieved to know that it wasn't real.

The cub shook his head to clear his mind of the horrible images and sighed. Oh well. Since it was morning, he ought to wake his sisters, so they could start trying to find their way home.

The cub stood up and gave his sister, Dania a slight nudge, which caused her to stir.

The white and grey cub opened one eye and looked lazily at her brother. "Kodi?" she said in between a yawn.

"It's morning now." Kodi said. "Help me wake the others so we can go home."

Dania nodded and got up. Then she and Kodi awoke Cherokee, which was easy, since she was a light sleeper.

Waking Aquene, however, was tougher. The white and brown bear cub was thrashing wildly in her sleep. With a little help from Cherokee, though, Aquene was soon awake. She blinked and rubbed her eyes.

Then the cub looked at her brother and sisters, her eyes filled with shock. "I had a dream that one of us -I don't know which one though- was being chased by a big wolf!" Aquene trembled as she recounted her tale.

Kodi looked surprised. "Wow...That's crazy. I had a scary dream too, Aquene. Mama was...dead, and I couldn't look away. I was so scared!"

Dania looked from her brother to her sister, a concerned look on her face. "Aquene I think," she said to Aquene, "You were scared, being in the forest by ourselves, and dreamed up that crazy wolf nightmare..and Kodi, your dream is a sign that you miss Mom and Dad...So do I..So let's go home and see them again!"

Dania turned her back, to talk with Cherokee and Aquene whispered in her brother's ear, "I think these dreams mean something else.."

Kodi nodded. "So do I." he whispered back.

Danaia had turned and heard their discussion. She cleared her throat. "So, as I was saying, let's go home!" she repeated.

Her brother and sisters nodded, then they walked down the path that they thought they'd come down before..

--

Back at the Salmon Run, that morning, Kia lay asleep in the cave, kicking wildly and calling out occasionally. "No...Stop! Silver Fang! Stop!"

Kenai, who lay beside her, opened his eyes in surprise. "Kia? What's wrong?"

When Kia did not answer, Kenai sat up and looked at her. She was still asleep. "Kia.."

Kenai got up and gave her a soft nudge. Just as he did this, Kia rose up quickly in her sleep. She opened her mouth a bit down on his ear-hard! Kenai almost cried out in pain, when he suddenly heard Kia speak.

"No! Silver Fang! Get away...Leave my cubs alone!" The white bear slapped the air with her forepaws, then spun clumsily and fell on her stomach.

Upon hearing these words, Kenai's eyes were filled with sympathy, and he immediately forgave his mate for biting him. She must have been dreaming that she was fighting Silver Fang.

Kenai made sure Kia was pinned down, so he would get attacked again. Then he lowered his head and lovingly kissed her nose. "Honey please wake up. You're only having a bad dream..wake up, Kia."

At this, Kia's eyes snapped open and she quickly got up, looking around cautiously. "Where is she?" she asked Kenai in a hushed voice. "Where's Silver Fang?"

Kenai smiled warmly at her. "Kia, darling, you were only dreaming. Silver Fang is not here."

Kia looked dumbfounded, and even embarrassed. "Oh.." she said in a small voice, and sat back onto the ground. "It all seemed so real.."

Kenai decided that his wife could really use his support right now, so he sat down beside her and said, "Do you want to talk about it? I'm here for you, Kia."

The white and brown bear smiled at him. "Thanks.." she took a deep breath.

"It all started out we were searching for the cubs. You and I split up, to cover more ground. It was all fine, but then I rounded a corner and saw..." she paused.

"Silver Fang?" Kenai said, encouraging his mate to go on.

Kia nodded. "Yeah, Silver Fang! I was just about to ask him what he wanted when he looked at me and said 'I have your cubs, Kia'! He actually addressed me by my real name, instead of Speckles!" Kia said, her eyes wide.

She continued her story. "Silver Fang said that I had a choice to make. Either I would die...or the cubs would. I got so angry I-I attacked him, and bit his ear."

Kenai nodded silently, remembering how she had bit him in her sleep. "He fought back, ripping at me viciously...And then, I woke up. It was such a terrible nightmare, Kenai!" Kia trembled, having finished her story.

Kenai could only imagine how awful it must have been. He put two comforting paws around his mate, pulling her into a hug.

"Don't worry, Kia." he said softly, "Nothing like that is going to happen. I promise. We will find the cubs today, and that'll be it. Nothing else will happen. You believe me?"

Kia stopped trembling and nuzzled her husband under the chin. "Of course I believe you, dear." she said, licking him across the muzzle.

Kenai smiled, relieved that he'd calmed his wife down. And he was sure he was right. Nothing bad would possibly happen. After all, Silver Fang was miles away. There was no way he could come back!

Kenai had never been so wrong in his entire life...


	13. Chapter 12: The Search begins

**Chapter 12: The Search Begins**

The cubs had been walking for what seemed like hours, and they still weren't home. As a matter of fact, they were even more lost than they had been before! In spite of this, they kept walking.

Then Aquene stopped and groaned. She sat on the ground and burst into tears.

Cherokee, always shaken when someone was crying, hurried back to her little sister and sat down beside her. "What's the matter, Aquene?" she asked, putting her paw around the shoulders of the sobbing cub.

"Oh Sissy, we're doomed!" Aquene replied, using the special nickname she'd given Cherokee. "We're going to be lost in the forest forever!"

Cherokee gave Aquene a hug. "Don't worry, Aquene. We'll be okay!" she said, trying to soothe the cub.

Tears still flowed freely down Aquene's face. "No! We're all gonna be lost forever! Who even knows how far from home we are?!"

Kodi knew it was his fault they were so lost, and he felt very bad. "Don't cry, sis..Please..."

Dania had been standing on her hind legs, sniffing for any hint of the river that they called home. Now she got down on all fours and turned to her brother and sisters.

"Hey guys..I'm sorry, but I have no idea which way we're supposed to go." she admitted reluctantly, "Maybe we should stop and ask for directions."

"Do you even see anyone to ask?!?" Aquene screamed, still crying hopelessly.

Kodi sighed and turned his head, looking for anybody they could ask. He was about to report that there was nobody nearby, when suddenly he saw a movement up ahead. Kodi narrowed his eyes, trying to see what it was. A..a wolf, he decided to himself.

Kodi excitedly turned to his three sisters. "Hey! Let's ask that wolf over there!" he pointed ahead.

"Well, I guess it's better than nothing.." Aquene mumbled, wiping a tear away with a sigh.

She got up to her feet, then she, Dania and Cherokee followed after their brother, who was already racing toward the wolf..

--

Meanwhile, Kenai and Kia were forming search parties to go and look for their cubs.

"Warner," Kenai said, "You check the South and West area of the forest. Kia and I will go search North and East."

Warner nodded. "Okay..good luck to you two And," he added, turning to Kia, who was trying hard not to cry again, "Don't worry, Kia.. We'll find them."

Kia nodded her head slowly. "I just hope they're alright." she managed to say quietly.

Kenai nuzzled his mate gently. "They're gonna be just fine." he said, speaking only slightly above a whisper.

"Okay. Let's go then.." Kia said with a deep breath.

"Wait!" someone called. "We want to help search too!"

Koda and Aika ran over to Kenai, Kia and Warner. "Please, let us help you." Koda said breathlessly.

Warner glared at Koda. "I think you've helped enough!" he declared.

Koda's ears drooped and he lowered his gaze to the ground guiltily. Kia felt her heart being tugged at this.

"What Warner means," she said, trying her hardest to be tactful, "Is that we need you two to stay here in case..um..in case the cubs come back home while we're gone!"

Kenai smiled appreciatively at the white and brown furred bear, for having been such a fast thinker. "Yeah. We've told Tug what's going on, and he's agreed to help watch you- err I mean, help you watch for the cubs, hehe.." he stammered.

Koda's eyes grew wide and he stared at his brother in shock. "You mean...You actually went and got us a cub sitter?!" he cried in dismay.

Kenai coughed uncomfortably. "No, not a cub sitter. Tug.." he said awkwardly.

"But-but it's still a cub sitter!" Koda argued. "Why do we need one when we are already grown enough to care for ourselves? Even you accepted that we are growing up yesterday, when you and Kia let us watch the cubs!"

Kenai, who was losing his patience by now, stepped forward and glared at Koda. "Yeah...and you lost them! It's plain to see by your carelessness, Koda, that you and Aika still need a cub sitter yourself! You're not grown up enough to cub sit!"

Koda drew back, looking hurt but he said nothing.

Kia, feeling bad for the cub reached a paw toward him. "What Kenai means, is-" she began, but Koda shook his head, cutting her off.

"It's okay, Kia. We get it." he said, not looking at her as he spoke. Koda turned to Aika. "Come on...we'd better not keep our cub sitter waiting any longer.."

Aika nodded wordlessly, her eyes filled with pain, and the two cubs turned and ran off. Kia watched them with a heavy heart.

She was beginning to feel angry at Kenai for talking so harshly to Koda. They might still be growing up, but Koda and Aika were still cubs; Cubs who needed to be treated with love, and kindness. Not bitter anger.

"Shall we go now, my dear wife?" Kenai asked softly, flashing Kia a small smile.

But instead of smiling back, Kia glared at Kenai angrily. "How could you say that, Kenai?! You sounded so mean! And Koda and Aika could've come if it was that important to them..." she paused to catch her breath.

"You should have given them a chance to redeem themselves. They're sorry, and now you've made them feel even guiltier than they were before!"

Kia stopped, having said all she could say. Well..there was more she had to say, but felt it better if it stayed secret. Such things she had in her mind might lead to the separation of her and her husband, and although Kia was mad at him, she still loved Kenai dearly. She just didn't love his temper.

Kenai, on the other paw, stood staring at his wife in utter shock. Why had she gotten mad? He hadn't been mean. He was just telling the truth! Kenai sighed and shook his head.

"Kia..Koda and Aika aren't much more than cubs themselves.. I just..forgot, I guess."

Kia shook her head. "That's not true, Kenai! Koda and Aika have grown a lot, and you know it! You just don't want to admit it!" she said.

Kenai sullenly turned to leave. "Come on now. Let's go and find our cubs." he said.

Kia heaved a sigh and nodded her head stiffly in defeat.

"Goodbye, Warner and good luck." Kenai said to the wolf, who had been watching the whole thing.

Warner smiled grimly at the male brown bear. "Good luck to you, too." he said then turned and walked away silently.

Kia threw one last glance back over her shoulder, hoping maybe the cubs had come back, but this was not true. She sighed sadly and hurried to catch up to her mate.

--

Koda and Aika had just walked over tot he cave, where Tug sat at the entrance, smiling broadly.

"Hey, Koda, buddy! Ready for some fun?" the big bear greeted.

Koda shook his head and said, "Not now, Tug. Maybe later.."

Tug looked surprised at Koda's answer. He turned to Aika. who was behind Koda. "Aika, how about you?" he asked hopefully.

Just like Koda, Aika shook her head and followed Koda wordlessly into the cave. Tug glanced after the two bear cubs, a surprised look on his face.

"Now what is the matter with those two?" he asked himself, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

Koda and Aika trudged over to the very back of the cave. They lay down sadly, their heads on their paws.

They were both thinking the same thing: They'd had one chance to act like grown ups..and they'd blown it..


	14. Chapter 13: To trust or Not to Trust?

**Chapter 13: To Trust or Not to Trust?**

Silver Fang walked along, muttering to himself occasionally, when suddenly he heard a noise. Well, not a noise, but a small voice. "Hey Mister Wolf! Please wait up!" Silver Fang glanced around to see if there was any other wolves nearby. He saw that he was the only one.

_'This better be quick..I need to keep going, so I can catch Kenai and Kia at Bear Claw Mountain!'_ he thought impatiently as he turned to face the four bear cubs who were running to him.

"Excuse us Mister!" one of the cubs called.

Silver Fang growled in annoyance. If there was one thing he disliked it was being called 'Mister Wolf'! "What?!" the grey wolf snarled.

Aquene, startled by the wolf's sudden outburst, fled into a nearby bush to hide. The other cubs stood their ground, trying to hide their fear.

Kodi stepped up nervously. "Excuse us, Mister Wolf. Can you help us? We're lost."

Silver Fang rolled his eyes as he was once again called the name he hated, and snorted in disgust. "What do you want _me_ to do?!"

Kodi swallowed nervously, and his ears went back a little. "Um, we were hoping you could tell us where the Salmon Run is..or maybe you know where our parents went?"

Silver Fang sighed. He thought back to the two lover bears he'd met earlier, Sitka and Speckles. "Well..what are your parents' names?" he asked after a moment's hesitation.

"Their names are Kenai and Kia." Kodi answered. He didn't notice how, at the mention of these two particular names, the large grey wolf's blue grey eyes lit up.

"Kenai and Kia...are your parents?" The wolf asked, trying to contain his excitement.

"Yeah!" Kodi was smiling now. "Do you know them?"

Silver Fang smirked to himself. _'These cubs are my key to getting Kenai and Kia!'_ he thought secretly.

Then, in answer to Kodi's question, Silver Fang said,"I do know a couple of bears by those names...But they might be different bears than what you're talking about..What exactly do they look like?"

Kodi paused, thinking. "My Dad Kenai looks just like me, except a whole lot bigger!"

Then the cub walked over to the bushes and came back with a timid looking Aquene.

"Our Mommy, Kia looks just like my sister, Aquene!" Kodi pointed to the nervous cub as he spoke, failing to notice how Silver Fang's jaw had dropped while he'd been talking.

Those two bears he'd met earlier..Their names weren't Speckles and Sitka! They had been Kenai and Kia! _'They will pay dearly for lying to me!'_ he thought, baring his teeth a bit.

Silver Fang was yanked from his thoughts by a small tap to his paw. "Excuse me sir..Do you know our parents?"

Silver Fang plastered a big, fake smile on his snout, speaking as sweetly as an evil wolf could speak. "As a matter of fact, I do! You might even say I'm a close friend of theirs." the wolf winked at the cubs. "The name's Silver Fang, kids!"

Hearing this, Dania turned and whispered in Cherokee's ear. "That's strange. Mom and Dad talk about their friends all the time..I don't remember them ever talking about him!"

Cherokee shrugged. "Neither do I!" she whispered back.

"So you really know our parents?" Kodi asked excitedly.

Silver Fang nodded. "That's right, kid! As a matter of fact..." The wolf paused as a brilliant scheme began to form in his mind. "I could take you to them, if you'd like."

Kodi was about to answer with a happy yes, when suddenly his sisters grabbed his paw and dragged him behind a big pine tree.

"One moment, please." Dania told Silver Fang.

"What's the big idea, girls?!" Kodi cried once they were safe from being heard by Silver Fang.

"I don't trust him, Kodi." Dania said.

"Me neither." Cherokee and Aquene chorused, then quickly hooked pinkies and said "Jinx!"

"There's just..I can't put my paw on it, Kodi but there's something funny about that wolf.." Dania said after a moment of silence.

Kodi frowned. "Who? Silver Fang? What's not to trust? If he knows our parents, he's gotta be an okay guy!"

Cherokee looked worriedly at him. "But Kodi...Mommy and Daddy talk about their friends all the time...I don't remember them ever telling us about Silver Fang."

"Something is very wrong here." Dania added.

"I don't like Silver Fang, Sissy...he scares me." Aquene whimpered, wrapping her paws around Cherokee.

Kodi rolled his eyes at all his sisters. "You girls worry way too much! The answer is simple. Mommy and Daddy just forgot to mention Silver Fang!" he paused to think. "I mean..how else would this guy know our parents if they weren't friends, hmm?"

Dania nodded, but she still looked very unsure. "Well..I guess.." She, Aquene and Cherokee all exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Come on..have I ever steered you wrong before?" Kodi asked. Then, just as Dania opened her mouth to answer this, he said, "Come on, just trust me! I know what I'm doing."

The brown cub hurried over to Silver Fang before his sisters could object. "Hey Silver Fang. Thanks for you offer to take us to our parents. We'll take it!" Kodi turned to look at his sisters, who were reluctantly approaching, their ears flat against their heads. "Right girls?"

The three female cubs hesitated. "...Right..."

A wolfish smile formed on Silver Fang's face. "Excellent!" Then he turned. "Follow me, kids. I will have you and your parents reunited in no time!"

Kodi eagerly raced up alongside the wolf. "You got it Silver Fang. Hey, can I call you Silver?"

Silver Fang shook his head. "I would prefer if you didn't."

"Oh.." Kodi paused for a minute. "Okay then, Mr. Silver Fang sir!"

Dania, Cherokee and Aquene trudged close behind, each wearing a worried expression.

Silver Fang, however, walked with his chest puffed and his head held high. Today was the day, he felt certain. He'd locate his "old friends", Kenai and Kia soon enough.

Now that he knew who to look for, he'd find them in no time. And then, he'd kill them, along with their overly trusting cubs. The wolf smirked and moved onward.

Silver Fang's revenge was just beginning..


	15. Chapter 14: The Argument

Okay, this'll be my last update for awhile, because I am going to be celebrating Christmas with my family, and then two days after I have a week long Winter camp to go to...So read this chapter, and I'll try to post again soon! 

**Chapter 14: The Argument**

Silver Fang and the cubs had been walking now for a couple hours; Two long, peaceful and quiet hours. Silver Fang was surprised that so many cubs could stay so quiet for so long! 'They must still be waking up.' he thought.

He was right. A few minutes later, Kodi gave a long, loud sigh. He began to hum a little tune.

Then Cherokee and Dania joined in the humming, along with Aquene.

"What...are you humming?" Silver Fang demanded, irritated that his peace had been disrupted.

"It's a song our uncle taught us!" Kodi replied, failing to notice Silver Fang's annoyance. "I'll sing it for you if you want!" he added quickly.

"No that's not necessary." Silver Fang said, but to his dismay, Kodi had already started to sing!

"Tell everybody I'm on my way. New friends and new places to see. With blue skies ahead, yes! I'm on my way. And there's nowhere else that I'd rather be!"

Kodi's sisters giggled. "Nowhere else that we'd rather be!" they sang along gleefully.

Silver Fang groaned and quickened his pace, his ears flat against his head in annoyance as the four cubs continued on with their song.

--

Kenai glanced back at Kia. She had not said a word since they left, except for occasionally calling out the names of their cubs. Something must be wrong.

The brown bear stopped, but Kia didn't notice. She was too lost in thought, and she walked right smack into Kenai! The white sow grunted and plopped down onto the ground, rubbing her snout.

Kenai turned back to his mate with a sigh. "Kia, what's the matter? And don't try to deny it. Something's up. Why are you being so quiet?" he asked.

Kia glanced up at Kenai. Since she was still angry at his harsh words to the cubs earlier, she'd best be careful what she said. "Oh..I'm just..thinking. That's all." she replied after a moment's hesitation.

Kenai eyed her curiously. "Thinking? About what?"

"About when Koda and Aika were younger. Back before we had our cubs. We used to have so much fun together, and I don't remember you ever getting angry at Koda and Aika. Well, except for the times when they scared me half to death, but still..." she sighed.

"I'm not exactly sure why, but ever since you heard you were going to be a father, you just..I don't know..You've kind of hardened toward Koda and Aika. You yell at them a lot more, that's for certain.."

Kia broke off and stared at the ground, fearful to look into Kenai's eyes, in case she'd made him mad.

Kenai stared at his mate in shock. "That's how you really feel about me?!" he demanded. There was a look of pain in his eyes, and Kia knew instantly she'd gone too far.

She nodded sheepishly. "Sorry Kenai..but that's how I see things...You are extremely forgiving if any of our cubs gets into trouble..but when Koda and Aika make one mistake, you never let them forget it."

Kenai opened his mouth to say something, but to his dismay, Kia wasn't finished.

"I couldn't believe how hard you were on Koda and Aika earlier. I can understand that you're upset the cubs are lost. Believe me, I am too..but..Did you have to be so unforgiving?! I know that Koda and Aika are growing up, and need to act more responsibly, but they are still cubs. Regardless of their age, Kenai!" The white bear stopped, panting hard to catch her breath.

Kenai still just stared at Kia in shock. Her words were like knives, getting sharper with every sentence. "Kia, you have to know that's not true. I still care for Koda and Aika deeply, like I care for our cubs. It's just, they're older now." he began.

"And so you expect more perfection from them, and no mistakes. I know." Kia said before Kenai could finish.

"Yeah!" Kenai said. But then his ears flattened back. "You know...the, umm..way you put it makes it seem harsher than it really is.." he said softly.

Kia shook her head slowly. "Not really..I'm only telling you what I see." she said.

Kenai was taken aback by this, but he tried to remain calm. "Kia, if I'm acting so wrongly, why do you take my side on whatever I say?" he asked.

"That's what you do in a realationship. You help each other. You're my mate. I am obligated." Kia said and glanced away sadly. "Or at least, that's how I feel lately. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I'm afraid. Afraid that if I don't take your side, you'll walk away and find a new mate who will."

Kenai's jaw had dropped lower and his eyes grew bigger as every one of his mate's words struck him. After a minute, his gaze hardened and he glared at Kia.

"Do you really think I'm that cold hearted? You honestly believe I would do such a thing to you?! I love you, Kia! I can't believe you would even question that!" he sighed. "If you really feel that I'm so cruel, maybe we'd better go our seperate ways.."

Now it was Kia who looked shocked. "What?" she cried softly. "Kenai, I-I didn't mean to make you mad and make you leave, I just wanted to tell you the truth...try looking through my eyes. See my point of view on the whole thing."

The white bear looked like she was getting close to crying. Kenai felt bad about that, but he tried not to show it.

"I think by telling me how I look to you, you're trying to tell me something else.. You don't love me anymore..Kia, is that what you're trying to say?"

Kia started to protest, but Kenai didn't give her a chance to speak. "You know what? Forget it." he said quietly. "I think we should split up. If you find the cubs, come find me...otherwise.." he paused. "We can just search separately."

Kia stared at him wide eyed. "But Kenai! I never said I didn't love-"

Kenai shook his head. "You take North and I'll go West."

"But-but-" Kia sputtered.

"Good luck, Nakia." Kenai said solemly.

He turned and walked away, leaving the white bear all alone. She just stood there, staring after him. What had she done? All she'd been trying to do was make him see from her perspective. Not tell him she didn't love him!

The white bear raised her head and roared. "Kenai, come back!" But nobody appeared. Kenai really had left her all alone! Kia hung her head sadly. What would she do? How could she ever get Kenai to forgive her? Would he ever speak to her again?

Kia lowered her head and sighed, her ears down low, and her heart aching. "Good luck to you too, Kenai..." she said, sadly, then walked off.


	16. Chapter 15: The Son of SIlver Fang

Alright! After what seems like AGES, I've managed to type up a new story chapter. I apologize for taking so stinkin' long to post this...I got writer's block, a monster case of it. And then..Once I got voer it and wrote another chapter, I got my time limited! So yeah..I've been taking long--too long-- and I'm sorry... :(

Disclaimer: I do not own Kenai, Koda or Tug. They are copyright to Disney. I d o not own Aika, Dania, Kodi, Aquene or Black Paw. They belong to my friends, Kenaiscub, KateSkyWalker, Jennifer, Jackie and Night Bear. I only own Kia, Cherokee, Silver Fang and this fan fic.

**Chapter 15: The Son of Silver Fang**

After what seemed like hours, Silver Fang and the four bear cubs came to a stop at a small stream. While Kodi and his sisters were wondering why they stopped, Silver Fang raised his head to the sky and unleashed a long, deep howl.

A few moments later, another howl answered Silver Fang's and then a wolf emerged from the forest. The wolf's fur was black. He had grey spots on his ears, snout and some on his paws. His eyes were a bright, mischievous yellow. "Dad!" The wolf cried joyfully, sprinting over to Silver Fang.

Kodi and his sisters' jaws dropped. Dad?!

Silver Fang smiled and hugged the wolf. "It's good to see you again, son."

"You too Pops!" the black and grey wolf said heartily.

Silver Fang turned to the four bear cubs who were looking at him and his son, wearing confused expressions.

"Children this is my son, Black Paw."

Kodi, Dania, Cherokee and Aquene waved and introduced themselves.

Then Silver Fang spoke again. "Black Paw and I are going to go talk about something. We'll be right back. Stay here." Motioning for his son to follow, Silver Fang walked away quickly.

Once they were out of earshot of the cubs, he turned to his son. "It's great to see you again son..I've missed you."

The black and grey wolf smiled. "I've missed you too, Pops. How come you haven't come home? You haven't even dropped by once for a visit.."

Silver Fang hesitated. "I've been..busy..with some work." he said, then paused, seeing Black Paw's ears begin to fold down sadly. "That's what I want to talk to you about. See, I'm taking those four cubs back to their parents and I could use your help."

Black Paw's smile returned. "How nice of you. Of course I'll help! What can I do?"

Silver Fang sneered. "Help me locate their parents, Kenai and Kia. Then I can kill them and get my revenge for what they did to me last year." he saw his son's questioning face and added, "I would prefer not to talk about it."

Black Paw's smile had faded and now his eyes grew wide. "You can't kill their parents! Who would watch out for those cubs then?!"

Silver Fang smirked. "Nobody, because I'd kill them too. Help me do this, son and I promise that I'll return home with you afterwards."

Black Paw sighed. He didn't like this idea at all! ..But then, on the other paw, his dad had promised to come home if he helped him! The black and grey wolf heaved another sigh. "Fine, I'll help you. What do their parents look like?"

An evil, delighted smile spread across Silver Fang's snout. "The father, Kenai has golden brown fur with darker markings on his paws. There are other spots on his ears, around his eyes, and on his stomach."

Black Paw nodded. "Okay, I got it. And the mother?"

"Kia..she's a strange one. You won't have a problem recognizing her. She has brown markings on her ears, stomach, back, paws and around her eyes. The rest of her is all white."

Black Paw almost fell over. "**White** fur?! That's crazy!"

Silver Fang nodded. "I know. But at least she won't be hard to locate." Black Paw nodded. "Oh, and Kenai should be somewhere near her." Silver Fang added.

"Okay Pops, I got it." Black Paw said.

"Very well. Let's go back to the cubs then." Silver Fang said. He and his son walked back, Black Paw feeling somewhat reluctant. But his father had said he'd come home, so he couldn't go back on this deal now.

"Here's the deal, kids." Silver Fang was saying, "Black Paw is going to scout ahead, and see if he can find your Mom and Dad. You four and I will follow behind. Okay?"

Kodi nodded happily, failing to notice his sisters still nervously looking at one another. "Sounds great, Mr. Silver Fang sir!" he agreed.

Black Paw nodded to his father, then he hurried off through the trees.

Silver Fang turned back to the cubs and they continued on..

--

Kia walked on, sniffing the air for any hint of her children. Nope, nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Her ears drooped and she heaved a sad, lonely sigh. _'Why did I have to go and make Kenai mad?'_ she thought miserably.

He'd gotten so upset that he'd abandoned her. Now she was all alone.

Kia really felt bad for what she'd said. Her words had given Kenai the idea that she no longer loved him-- which wasn't true!

_'I wouldn't be surprised if he just left me and took the cubs with him..' _the white female grizzly thought sadly.

Hanging her head, Kia stopped walking. She walked under a shady pine tree and laid down. Tears started to form in her eyes.

"Kenai..what have I done?" she asked quietly, tears trickling down her furry face.

---

Black Paw had raced far ahead of his father and the cubs as he scouted through the forest, looking for Kenai and Kia. He had decided to look for Kia first, since he'd have an easier time recognizing her.

As he ran past a tree, he heard a muffled sob. Black paw skidded to a halt and glanced back, where he spotted a white and brown bear laying beneath a pine tree.

A smirk appeared on his face as he heard her speak. "Kenai..what have I done?"

The black wolf hadn't understood everything, but he had heard her say "Kenai". The rest didn't matter, for he was sure now that this bear was one of the two his father was looking for.

Being as quiet as he could, Black Paw turned on his heel and raced off to go tell Silver Fang.

Would his dad ever be pleased to hear that he'd found Kia!


	17. Chapter 16: The Truth Revealed

Here's chapter 16! Enjoy!**  
**

**Chapter 16: The Truth Revealed**

Silver fang walked through the forest with Kodi and his sisters close behind. He was waiting for his son's alert. Suddenly the large grey wolf's ears perked up as a wolf's howl rang out.

His blue grey eyes opened slightly wider as he realized that it was definitely Black Paw's howl. The big grey wolf tilted his head toward the sky and howled in reply.

Moments later, Black Paw appeared, running at full speed. "Pops!" he cried excitedly. He couldn't stop where he was going, however and crashed right into Silver Fang, knocking the grey wolf onto his back. "Whoops! Sorry.." the smaller black and grey wolf apologized, helping his father up.

Silver Fang sat up and did a double take. Then he shot his son a somewhat annoyed look. "This better be pretty important, for you to be acting so hyper!"

Black Paw's yellow eyes flashed with excitement as he nodded his head. "Pops! I found her. Kia! She's just through that big bunch of trees!"

Silver Fang's irritated scowl was replaced with a look of evil pleasure. "Great work, son!"

"Did you really find our mommy?"

Caught off guard, Silver Fang glanced down and saw a hopeful looking Kodi staring up at him and Black Paw.

"Err..yes. I did." Black Paw said, glancing hesitantly at his father as if to say, "What do we do now?"

Kodi looked so happy he might dance or even do a back flip. "Yippee! Can you take us to her? Can you?" he asked naively.

Silver Fang's ears pressed flat against his head as he looked smugly at the cub, eyes narrowed into little slits. "Sorry..I can't do that." he sneered.

Kodi's ears lowered and his cheerful expression became replaced with one of shock. "What do you mean? You said you found her..Why can't you take us to her..?" he said in a small voice. He started to back away from the wolves.

Silver Fang advanced toward the cub slowly, grinning evilly as he spoke, "You are so naive. You should have listened to your sisters..They were right all along and now, thanks to you...your parents will die today. I'll make sure of it!"

Kodi's eyes grew wider with every one of the wolf's words, and he backed up against a tree. "What?!" he whimpered. "Why? I thought you were my parents' friend!"

"Actually I'm the exact opposite." Silver Fang sneered. "I'm their enemy...and I'm out to get revenge on them for interfering with my plans last year."

Silver Fang glanced at his son. "Quick! You get the girls and take them to that cave!" he pointed at a cave that was nearby. "I'll get this one.." Silver Fang turned back to Kodi.

The cub who was looking more frightened by the moment. He'd been in bad situations before, but never one like this! Feeling his heart begin to beat faster, Kodi turned and desperately started to climb up the tree. He stopped and glanced down.

This gave Silver Fang just enough time to jump on his hind legs and grab him roughly by one of his back legs. The cub cried out in pain as Silver Fang dragged him back to the cave.

Cherokee, Aquene and Dania screamed as Black Paw lunged for them, and they ran away as fast as their paws could carry them. However, they were not fast enough to beat Black Paw. With one swift leap, the wolf had leapt into their path, completely stopping them. He grabbed them by the scruffs on their necks, and dragged them back to the cave.

"Well done." Silver Fang told his son, once the four cubs were all in the cave. He turned away from the cubs. "Black Paw, I'm leaving you in charge of these cubs. Don't let any one of them escape."

"I won't let you down, Pops." the black and grey wolf replied.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Silver Fang said with an evil glint in his eyes, "I'm off to pay a certain white and brown bear a visit." The large grey wolf turned, smirking then took off into the forest.

Kodi and his sisters glanced around, panic stricken. They had to escape somehow, and help their mom...but how? What could they do?!

-

Meanwhile, Kia had stopped crying, and had continued her search for the cubs. "Kodi! Dania! Aquene! Cherokee! Where are you kids?" she called out.

The white bear's ears pricked up as she heard a sound nearby. "Kids?"

The female grizzly heard another sound, this time right behind her. "Kids is that you?"

"Hello Kia!" a voice said nastily.

Kia spun around and gasped at what she saw. "Silver Fang!"

--

Back at the Salmon Run, Koda and Aika were laying in the cave. They still felt really bad about what had happened, and felt even worse after Kenai's harsh words.

"This whole thing is all my fault." Koda said sadly.

Aika glanced up at him and shook her head slowly. "It's not just your fault, Koda..I'm also to blame here." she replied.

Koda sighed sadly. "Aika, I'm the one who yelled at Kodi and got him so upset that he'd run away. You didn't do anything wrong, aside from leaving the cubs alone..and you only left them to make sure I was okay." he reasoned.

Aika's face warmed at this and she had to look away for a minute. "Uhh...yeah." she said, somewhat nervously.

Koda sighed again. "If only there was a way I could help them." The cub paused for a moment.

Then a smile spread on his face as an idea came to him. "Wait a minute..I _can_ help!" he said excitedly.

Aika looked at Koda and raised an eyebrow. "How are you going to do that? Kenai doesn't want us to, in case you forgot already."

Koda nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I know. But..here's the plan. You find some way to distract Tug, while I sneak into the forest. Then I'll go look for the cubs. If anybody can find them, it's me, their Uncle Koda!"

Koda looked so pleased with his plan that Aika did not point out that even if he did find the cubs (which wasn't very likely), they might not want to come back with him. Not after his show of temper yesterday.

Aika faked a big smile. "Great plan Koda! I'm sure it will work out!"

The smile on Koda's muzzle grew wider, and he reached out and hugged Aika warmly. "Thanks Aika! You're always on my side..I can always count on you. That's why I like you so much!"

Aika blushed. "Wha..? You..like me...? ..So much?" she stammered.

By now Koda had realized his slip of the tongue and was blushing furiously. "I..uh..Hey, let's get going with the plan, ok? Ok! Great!"

The brown bear cub gave Aika a toothy, embarrassed smile, then got up and hurried to away.

Aika smiled at his retreating form and followed close behind, blushing a bit herself.

--

Back in the forest, Kia stared in shock at Silver Fang. "How-how did you know my name?" she demanded, realizing it would be useless to try lying again.

Silver Fang smirked at her. "I just happened to meet four sickeningly adorable little cubs who were lost. I agreed to help find their parents. The boy was glad to give me their names and what they looked like, after that."

Kia gasped. Kodi! The cubs! "My cubs! What have you done with them?!" she roared angrily.

"Don't worry. They're fine..for now anyways.." Silver Fang sneered.

Kia's eyes widened at the idea of her children being hurt. "You monster! Don't you lay a _claw_ on them!" she warned, arching her back.

"I don't plan on doing that." Was the large wolf's reply, and Kia relaxed slightly. "Not until I've finished off you and Kenai, that is!" he added and laughed evilly.

This made Kia so mad, you could almost see the flames of rage in her eyes. She got up on her hind legs, raised a paw, and delivered a harsh blow to the grey wolf's skull.

He yelped and staggered back a bit. Silver Fang licked his paw and rubbed his head.

"You dare to attack me? I didn't know you had it in you!" Silver Fang paused and smirked at the white and brown grizzly.

He growled menacingly at her as he stalked a little closer. "Nevertheless, you are no match for me. This will be a quick battle!"

This said, Silver Fang lunged at Kia and sank his teeth into one of her front paws.

The white bear reared up and slapped the wolf away with her forepaws, roaring loudly.

The fight for survival had begun!


	18. Chapter 17: Koda to the Rescue!

Hey all my readers! I just wanted to thank everybody for reading this. I have no idea how many more chapters I'm gonna have for this before it ends, but I'm trying to make this a good sequel, mainly because Disney's BB sequel was so predictable it almost killed me xx Also, I'm thinkin the rating on this story might need to go up, since it's getting violent..please tell me if you think so in your reviews XD**  
**

**Chapter 17: Koda to the Rescue!**

Kenai and Warner had heard Kia's roar, and were both desperately trying to find her. _'Why did I leave her alone? I'm so stupid!' _Kenai thought as he hurried through the forest, a deeply concerned expression on his face.

He was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't see Warner coming until too late! They smacked heads and fell over backward.

Warner groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. "Oy.." he glanced up at Kenai, and a bemused look appeared on his face. "Kenai? Why aren't you with Kia? I thought you two were going to search together."

Kenai lowered his eyes to the ground, remembering the fight he'd had with his mate. Maybe he'd overreacted..."I was. It's a long story, and I don't have the time right now. You see, I'm looking for Kia. I'm afraid she's in trouble."

"So am I!" Warner said. "Let's look for her together! With my good hearing and your keen sense of smell, we'll find her faster than if we went off alone."

Kenai nodded in agreement. "Okay, let's hurry!"

They got up then both wolf and bear took off again, running side by side.

---

"You won't defeat me!" Silver Fang snarled, leaping onto Kia's back. He grabbed a big chunk of fur and gave a hard jerk, making Kia roar loudly in pain.

The white grizzly reared up on her hind legs and smacked the grey wolf's jaw, forcing him to let go. "Ow.." he muttered, raising a paw to his jaw.

Kia took advantage of this momentary distraction and rammed back first into the bottom of a cliff, trying to knock Silver Fang off of her.

Her plan worked, but the impact from hitting the cliff was so great, Kia staggered and fell on her face.

The white and brown sow groaned, and looked up to see Silver Fang coming toward her, grinning evilly.

---

Aika nervously approached Tug, Koda giving her the thumbs up -err, paws up from inside the cave, the whole time.

"Um..Tug?" she asked, and the big black bear turned to look at her. "Koda was wondering if.." the bear cub paused, trying to form a good plan that might distract Tug. Then she had an idea.

"Could you please catch him some salmon? Please Tug? I would get it, but I don't like the way salmon tastes..strange I know..but...Please Tug. Say you'll do it?" Aika stopped and waited for Tug's reaction.

The big black bear smiled down at her. "Sure thing, Aika! How many do you think he'll want?" he asked.

Aika stopped to think. She'd better have him catch a lot of salmon, if Koda was to have any chance to sneak off. "About...14." she said, and Tug raised an eyebrow at her.

"14?" he repeated curiously.

Aika nodded. "Yeah! He's a, um, big eater!" she said quickly.

Tug laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so, little lady. Wait here. I'll be right back." The big black bear got up on all fours and plunged into the river.

Aika turned and glanced at Koda, who watched her from the mouth of the cave. "Go! Now!" she said in a hushed whisper.

The brown bear cub nodded his head. "Thanks Aika!" he whispered back. Then quickly ran out of the cave and took off into the forest.

Aika watched with a nervous expression on her face. "Be safe, Koda."

---

Koda had not been searching the forest long when he suddenly heard a voice.

"I don't _care_ what you do to me. Just leave my family alone!"

Koda's ears went up and his face changed from curious to worried. That was Kia's voice. She must be in trouble! Koda started to run as fast as he could, to where he'd heard Kia's voice.

Moments later, the cub came to a clearing with bushes and some trees surrounding it. He hid behind a tree and cautiously peeked out.

Koda's eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped at what he saw..

---

Kia lay sprawled out by the same cliff she'd rammed herself into, with Silver Fang towering over her. She stared at him, with a cold stare.

The white bear made one last attempt to attack the wolf, raising one of her paws off the ground and swiping at him, barely brushing Silver Fang's left fore paw.

Silver Fang chuckled evilly. "Nice try, Kia. I admit I'm impressed with your. You are an excellent fighter. Usually my opponents don't last half this long...but as fun as this has been"

-the wolf's evil smirk widened- "I am growing impatient. So now, Kia, it is time for me to do what I set out to do."

Before Kia could move or even say a word, the grey wolf slashed his claws roughly over her body, leaving deep, bloody cuts.

Kia cried out in pain, then her eyes closed and she went limp.

"Nooooooo!"

Silver Fang turned in surprise as a cry rang out behind him. He glanced up to see a brown bear cub emerge from behind a tree.

"Kia! NO!" the cub cried, racing the white bear's side. He gaped in horror at all the bloody gashes Silver Fang had left on the sow's body.

_'This is all my fault!'_ Koda thought sadly, fresh tears streaming down his cheeks. _'None of this would have happened if I hadn't lost my temper with Kodi! Kenai's right...I am too young to be trusted with the cubs...I'm such a failure..'_

Koda rubbed his nose against Kia's, trying to get her to wake up, but it was no use. She wouldn't wake up.

"Kia, please wake up! Kenai's gonna be so sad!" Koda pleaded desperately.

Then, to his surprise, the white bear's eyes fluttered and she slowly lifted her head, wincing. "Koda?" she said quietly.

Silver Fang just stood, staring in disbelief. He'd thought she was dead!

"How many times must I kill you, bear?!" Uttering a loud snarl, Silver Fang rammed into Kia, ripping at her fur again.

Kia roared and tried to fight back, but she was helpless, for she couldn't even keep the wolf away long enough to get back to her feet.

Silver Fang slashed her with all his might, well aware of his advantage right now.

Kia had lost her will to fight and collapsed down onto the ground again. Whether she was unconscious or dead was hard to tell, but she was out, either way.

Laughing evilly, Silver Fang grabbed Kia by the scruff of her neck and started to drag her toward a cliff. He planned to shove her off. A bear with her injuries wouldn't survive such a fall if she was still alive.

However, just before Silver Fang could get Kia to the cliff, a small cry rang out, "Leave Kia alone!" Silver Fang turned his head just in time to be pounced by a small, brown blur.

It was Koda! The cub hadn't gone for help, but instead had decided to face off against Silver Fang himself!

The large grey wolf pushed Koda back with a paw and glared down at him. "I don't know who you think you are, cub, to challenge me...but prepare to die!" he snarled.

The wolf sunk his teeth into Koda's back. He lifted the cub and flung him into a tree.

Koda unleashed a pain filled roar , but quickly got back up to his feet and attacked Silver Fang again.

No matter what happened, he couldn't let Silver Fang kill Kia!


	19. Chapter 18: Kenai VS Silver Fang

Sorry for such a short chapter but I found the perfect place to leave you hanging and I also wanted to update again. Enjoy, and if anybody else reads this aside from Nausicaa of the Spirits, my most dedicated reader, please review and tell me what you think. I'm trying very hard to make this a good story and it's a bit discouraging when only one person is staying consistent with reviewing. So please..every review means so much to me..

**Chapter 18: Kenai VS Silver Fang  
**

Kenai and Warner were still searching all over for Kia when suddenly, Warner stopped dead in his tracks.

Kenai skidded to a halt when he realized the wolf had stopped, and hurried back to his friend. "Why'd you stop?" he asked, and was shushed by the wolf.

"Shh! Listen!" he whispered as a small roar rang out nearby.

Kenai narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out who could be roaring. The roar was too small to be Kia..It kinda sounded like.. Kenai's eyes widened.

"It can't be!" he cried. "Come on Warner!" The bear and wolf started running again, trying to locate the source of the roar. _'Please let me be wrong!' _Kenai thought, his heart pounding wildly.

He and Warner stopped in some bushes and peeked out as another small roar was heard, loud and clear. This was where the roar had come from for sure.

Kenai almost cried out at what he saw. His brother bear, Koda was fighting Silver Fang!

"I won't let you hurt Kia!" Koda cried whimpering as he was flung into the same tree again.

Kenai blinked. Kia? The male brown bear glanced around in terror and his gaze locked on a furry white and brown bear sprawled out near a cliff, covered in blood. Kia.

"No!" he whispered in grief.

Warner saw this at the same time and said, "You go check your wife..I'll help Koda."

The wolf started to leave but Kenai stopped him by putting a paw in his path.

"No, Warner. You check on Kia...I have to help my brother. This is getting way too personal." he said.

Warner nodded, though he looked surprised for a minute, but then hurried over to Kia's side.

Kenai turned his attention back to Koda and Silver Fang, waiting for the moment to jump in. The wolf was grinning slyly at Koda.

"I admire your bravery, kid. You've got some real guts standing up to me. But-"

Koda cut him off, weakly saying, "My name's not kid, it's Koda!"

Kenai couldn't help but smile proudly at his brother's bravery.

Silver Fang rolled his eyes. "Koda, then. But my patience is wearing very thin. Now it's time to finish you and Kia off."

Silver Fang bit into one the cub's front paws, then raised his paw and raked it over Koda's side, leaving a big cut.

Koda cried out and fell over. "You..won't...get...away with this." he said, breathing hard.

"I already have!" Silver Fang sneered, lowering his jaws to the cub's neck.

Kenai saw this and bolted out of the bushes. "NO!"

Silver fang glanced up, annoyed. "Oh, what now?!" he demanded, but instead of getting an answer, a sharp blow was delivered to his head.

Silver Fang stumbled and fell. He glanced up and saw a large brown bear growling angrily at him. Kenai. "How nice of you to show yourself, Kenai. Now I won't have to go looking for you when I finish with your mate Kia!" Silver Fang snarled.

Kenai looked like he was going to say something, but then he quickly turned to Koda, who still lay on the ground. "Koda..? Are you alright?"

The brown bear cub looked at Kenai through half open eyes. "I'm sorry, Kenai..This is all my fault. Sorry I'm such a bad brother..and uncle."

Kenai regretfully remembered his harsh words. "Koda..I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of what I said. You're not a bad brother, or a bad uncle. And I love you...Koda? Koda!"

Kenai looked down in shock at the cub, whose eyes had closed, and had stopped moving. He nudged the cub with his nose but he didn't budge.

"Koda, NOOOOOOO!" Kenai cried, his heart filled with grief and sorrow.

Then he glanced up, remembering Silver Fang. "You!" Kenai growled, turned to Silver Fang, a look in his eyes that was unmistakebly rage and hatreds. "You did this!" Kenai snarled and lunged for Silver Fang.

The wolf was just barely able to dodge the mad bear's attack. "So what if I did?" he sneered, biting into Kenai's back paw. Kenai growled and swatted viciously at the wolf.

Silver Fang jumped back quickly, and waited until Kenai came closer. Then he lowered his head and rammed himself into Kenai.

Stunned and knocked off balance a little, Kenai stumbled backward and toppled onto his back. The brown bear opened his eyes and glanced around. He saw his brother bear not too far off from him, and near the cliff he saw Warner, still trying to awake Kia.

As he sat up, Kenai began to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Not long after he had left Kia, she'd encountered Silver Fang, who somehow had found out her real name. After a rough battle, she must have collapsed. Koda had somehow tricked Tug and snuck into the forest. He must have come just as Silver Fang was about to finish off Kia, and attacked him instead of going for help. He'd tried to protect her, not caring that he was no match for the big wolf, Silver Fang. All he'd cared about was saving Kia!

Having figured everything out now, Kenai growled and his hate filled gaze again locked on Silver Fang as he got to his feet.

_'This wolf has killed my brother bear, my mate and possibly even my cubs.' _Kenai thought, bristling. Feeling as though he had nothing left now, Kenai let out a mighty roar and lunged at Silver Fang.

The wolf had not expected such an attack and was caught off guard. Kenai easily caught his neck in his jaws.

Silver Fang realizing how easy it would be for Kenai to kill him now, thrashed wildly and scratched Kenai on the nose, trying desperately to free himself from the bear's tenacious grip.

Sadly, his atempt was unsuccessful, for Kenai didn't even losen his bite. The bear just clamped his jaws down harder..


	20. Chapter 19: Together Again

Hey there! I know you're wondering why I didn't update the other day, huh? Well now you know. It's because I was writing this super long chapter for ya'll. Welp, hope you enjoy it! Please, please, _please_ R&R!**  
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**Chapter 19: Together Again**

Kodi and his sisters were still trying to figure out some way to escape. Black Paw lay curled up, half asleep, in front of the entrance to the cave the cubs were in.

Cherokee was walking along the back of the cave, searching for any way of escape. Having found nothing, the light brown bear cub walked back to her sisters and brother, head lowered in defeat.

"There's no way out." she reported sadly. "Not unless, we figure out some way to get around this guy." she pointed at Black Paw.

Aquene took one look at her brother and sisters and burst into tears. "That's it, then, isn't it?" she sobbed. "We're doomed, aren't we?"

Dania sat down by the sobbing cub and tried to comfort her. "It's okay, Aquene. We'll find some way to escape..you'll see."

Aquene shook her head stubbornly. "No we won't! Can't you see we're trapped?!"

The white and brown bear cub turned and made an angry face at her brother. "This is all your fault! If you wouldn't have run away, we wouldn't have all gotten lost, and never would have met Silver Fang, who was a bad guy all along!" she said accusingly.

Kodi glanced up at Aquene quickly. "Nobody asked you dumb girls to follow me, Aquene! This isn't all my fault!"

At this, Cherokee bristled. "Well excuse us, Kodi, for trying to make sure you were okay! We were just doing what good sisters do! Watching out for you!"

Kodi tried again to defend himself. "Well, fine. But don't think that us being stuck in a cave is my fault! Silver Fang seemed so friendly, he could've fooled anyone, as far as I'm concerned. So don't blame me...you girls never even told me you thought he might be bad!"

Aquene's eyes widened and she snarled. "Kodi! We told you we had a bad feeling about him! But you refused to listen! So it _is _your fault we're in this mess! All your fault."

Kodi looked like he was about to say something else, when suddenly Dania jumped in between her fighting brother and sisters.

"Kodi, Cherokee, Aquene! This is no time to fight! Whether it's Kodi's fault or not, don't try to press this problem. Right now, we need to get out of here. And there's our chance! Look!"

The white and grey cub pointed by the entrance of the cave, where Black Paw had dozed off and was sleeping peacefully.

"Alright, he's asleep!" Cherokee cheered softly and Dania nodded her head happily.

"Quick!" she whispered. "Let's get outta here before he wakes up!" Everybody nodded in agreement. Dania walked over to the entrance to have a better look at Black Paw.

She hurried back to her brother and sisters, saying, "Alright. We have to be careful we don't wake him up. This guy just barely fell asleep, so be as quiet as you possibly can!"

"Right!" Kodi, Aquene and Cherokee agreed.

Slowly, one by one, the four cubs started out of the cave, going in a single file line. Dania went first, followed by Cherokee. Then Kodi and Aquene.

Dania glanced at Black Paw again and placed a paw to her mouth. "Shhhh!" she warned.

Aquene walked close behind Kodi. "I still say this whole thing is your fault. And you know it's true, don't you?" she added, as the cub glanced back at her, looking stricken.

"You know that you are the cause for this whole mess..How can you possibly be acting like it's not? Hmmm?"

Kodi shook his head and growled at Aquene. "You know what?! Enough! I'm tired of you putting me down!" Before he thought about it, Kodi rammed into Aquene.

The white and brown cub, caught off balance, stumbled backward and fell-- right onto Black Paw! Fear went through her eyes as the wolf opened his eyes in surprise, then growled as he saw all the cubs outside of the cave.

_'Oh no! I messed up **again**!'_ Kodi thought, grabbing his sister by the mane to help her up. "RUN!" he cried, and all four of the bear cubs broke into a run.

Kodi glanced back, only to find that Black Paw had gotten up and was running close behind them. "Faster! He's gaining!" the cub shouted to his sisters, running as fast as he could.

Dania and the girls quickened their pace. Black Paw chased them all over the forest, getting closer to them with every pound of his paws.

Dania saw this and screamed, "Faster! We can't let him catch us!"

The cubs raced through a bunch of bushes, hoping to make the wolf slow down. But he didn't slow down in the least. Things were getting bad. Kodi and the others were getting exhausted, and running out of the will to run.

Then, just as they ran past a clearing, they suddenly heard a voice. "Cubs?!"

Glancing back, Kodi and his sisters saw that it was Aika and Tug! Relieved to see their familiar faces, Dania, Cherokee, Aquene and Kodi hurried over and bear piled on top of Aika.

"Aika! Oh, we missed you!"

Aika smiled warmly and hugged all the cubs. "Your parents have been looking all over for you cubs." she responded. Then she gasped. "Oh no!"

"What's the matter, Aika?" Kodi asked.

"It's just..You four haven't seen your Uncle Koda, have you?"

All four cubs shook their head. "No...Why?"

"He went out searching for you four just a little while ago..I'm afraid he must be in trouble."

Tug gulped at this. "We'd better find him, Aika. He's the only reason we're out here, after you admitted that stunt you pulled with me was just a distraction."

He looked down at the cubs and laughed. "Aika had me catch 14 salmon just so your Uncle would have time to sneak into the forest and look for you kids!"

Kodi and his sisters laughed. They couldn't help it. This sounded very funny to them.

"We heard someone screaming." Aika said. "Was it you?"

Cherokee nodded. "Yeah," she said, "It's a long story, but we're being chased by a black and grey wolf named Black Paw. Please don't let him get us, he's related to this other wolf who wants to kill our parents!"

Aika's eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped. The cub must be talking about Silver Fang! "Don't worry. Tug won't let anything get you! Right Tug?" Aika asked.

Tug nodded his head. "Right! Hop on my back. I'll keep you safe." he said.

Feeling safer than they had in awhile, Kodi, Dania, Cherokee and Aquene climbed up onto Tug's back, with Aika.

"Now then, let's go find your uncle Koda before he gets himself into anymore trouble." Tug said laughing. The big black bear turned and started to walk away.

All of a sudden, they heard a snarl behind them.

Cherokee twisted around to see what had snarled and she screamed. "It's him! Black Paw!" she shrieked.

"Excuse me bear, but I believe you have something that belongs to me." the black wolf said, coming closer to Tug.

Tug whirled around and stared at him. "And what might that be?" he asked with an unamused look on his face.

"Those four cubs that you just picked up." Was Black Paw's reply.

Kodi and his sisters trembled with fear as the wolf said this.

"These are your cubs?" Tug asked. He winked at Dania. "Hmm...you look awful...different to be their father. How do these bear cubs belong to you?" he asked, smirking.

"No, I mean...They're not _my_ kids. I'm uh..watching them for their parents." Black Paw stammered.

Kodi stared in shock at the wolf. What a liar! He glanced at Tug. "It's not true! He's watching us for his dad, while he goes and tries to kill our parents!"

"That's preposterous!" Black Paw shouted.

"Don't believe this wolf!" Aquene cried.

Tug smiled back at the white and brown bear cub. "Don't worry, Aquene. I've got this under control." He turned back to Black Paw.

"Well it just so happens I'm taking them to their parents, so you don't need to watch them anymore." The black bear turned and gave a wave of his paw. "Goodbye!"

"Hold it right there!" Black Paw snarled, hurrying into Tug's path. "Okay, I admit it! I am keeping the cubs for my father. But only because it's the only way to make him come home with me. So please. Give them to me!"

"Sorry, Black Paw. I feel bad for you, I really do. But Kenai and Kia have been searching for their cubs everywhere, and now that I have them, there's no way I'm giving them to you!" Tug replied.

Black Paw hung his head. "But...if I don't get those cubs back, my Pops will never come home." he said sadly. The wolf sat down and stared sadly at the ground.

Cherokee, feeling bad about this, jumped down off of Tug's back and against her Aika's warnings, walked over to Black Paw.

"Black Paw," she began, "You don't have to do this. If you really want your dad back, there's other ways. I know you're bad and all, but I kinda like you."

At these words, Kodi, Dania and Aquene's jaws all dropped.

"I think you only act so sinister because you know that's what your daddy wants. Is that right?" Cherokee asked.

Black Paw glanced down at her. Thoughts of grabbing her and running off passed through his mind. But before the wolf could do this, Cherokee's last words hit him hard. Was this little cub right about him? Was he only acting bad to make Silver Fang happy?

Well, he hadn't liked the idea of this kidnap and murder plot in the beginning. So..she must have been right. The wolf's scowl disappeared from his face and he smiled a little.

"Actually...you're right, kid. I'm only doing it for my Pops. He said if I did it, he would come back home with me."

Cherokee looked at Black Paw sympathetically. How awful it must be to have a father who would refuse to come home unless it benefited him! Cherokee wrapped her paws around Black Paw and gave him a little hug. "I'm awful sorry, Black Paw. But..you do know what you are doing is wrong, right?"

Black Paw nodded. "Yeah. I hate that I have to stoop to this level just to make him happy." he said sadly.

Cherokee's ears lowered as she felt her heart breaking for Black Paw and his father. "Hey Black Paw. Tell you what. I'm going to make you a deal. If you help us save our parents, I'll find a way to help you get your dad back. Deal?"

After a moment, Black Paw nodded. "Deal." he replied, smiling.

Kodi and the other cubs, along with Aika and Tug watched in shock as Cherokee and Black Paw shook on it.

"So..does this mean Black Paw's on our side now?" Kodi ventured cautiously.

Black Paw looked up at the cub who sat atop Tug's back. "You got it, kid." he said.

"What a relief!" Dania said softly.

"So, where are you guys headed?" Black Paw asked.

"We need to find our uncle, and our mommy and daddy." Aquene said.

"Yeah...I hope Koda is alright." Aika added in a worried tone.

"Do you know where your father was going, Black Paw?" Tug asked.

"I sure do. Come on you guys. I'll lead the way." the black and grey wolf replied.

"Ready to see your parents again, kids?" Tug asked.

"Yeah!" all four cubs chorused gleefully.

"Alright then." Tug replied and started to follow Black Paw, who was walking up ahead.

None of them was expecting what they were going to find..

---

"Kia? Are you okay? It's me, Warner." Warner said softly, waving a paw in Kia's face. However, this didn't wake the bear up.

_'Maybe I should splash her. That might work.' _The wolf thought to himself. He glanced around but saw there was no river. "Great..No water...What now?"

Warner thought until he got another idea. He waved it away but then, realizing it might be so crazy it could work, he decided to try it. The wolf leaned over Kia's face and drooled on her muzzle.

Kia's eyes opened and she groaned. "Is..it starting to rain?" she asked. Then she saw there was no rain coming down. "What the?"

The white bear glanced up and saw Warner still over her, mouth open, and she quickly put two and two together. "EWWW! Wolf drool! Warner!"

Warner moved away sheepishly. "Sorry..it was the only way to get you up..Everything else I tried failed."

He paused as the white and brown sow sat up and shook her head, wincing. "Are you okay Kia?"

Kia groaned. "Is Silver Fang still here?" she asked.

Warner glanced at Kenai, who still had Silver Fang in his jaws. "Yeah..he's still here."

"Then no..I'm not okay." Kia declared.

Warner shook his head. "No, I mean are you physically okay? You've got some pretty nasty gashes there." he pointed out.

Kia shrugged. "I guess so." she said.

"Can you get up?" Warner asked, concerned.

Kia struggled to her paws, wincing as she stood on the injured one. "Yeah..sure." she said weakly.

Warner heaved a sigh of relief. Silver Fang may have hurt Kia badly, but she was still alive..Thank the Great Spirits she was okay.

As Kia glanced around, she gasped and her eyes widened at the sight she saw. "Kenai!"

---

Kenai snarled at Silver Fang. He clamped his jaws down, preparing for the kill. However, before he could finish the wolf off, he heard a voice that stopped him.

"Kenai!"

"Kia?" Kenai let go of Silver Fang's neck, letting the wolf drop to the ground as he ran over to his mate.

"Kia! You're okay!" Kenai cried as he reached her.

The brown bear grabbed Kia tightly in his arms and hugged her like he never had before.

"Ow..ow..ow.." Kia groaned weakly as Kenai's hug pinched some of her injuries. In spite of this, she was still smiling as she hugged Kenai back.

Kenai immediately let Kia go, remembering her injuries. "Oops! Sorry, Kia. I was just so relieved to see you're okay, I forgot about all those injuries." he smiled sheepishly at his mate.

Kia smiled warmly at Kenai. "It's okay, Kenai. I'm just glad you came..I thought I'd never see you again..Thanks for rescuing me." she said and licked his cheek.

"Actually..it's not me you should be thanking." Kenai's face saddened. "It's Koda...He's the _real_ hero."

Kia frowned. "What? Kenai, what do you mean? Where's Koda?"

Then she spotted the cub, still sprawled out on the ground, his fur blood soaked. "Koda!"

Kia's eyes began to water as she looked back at Kenai. "He isn't...is he?" she whispered in a trembling voice.

Kenai's ears lowered and he said in a choked voice, "I hope not."

Kia burst into tears and hugged Kenai for comfort. "Oh Kenai! I hope he's okay!" she sobbed.

Before Kenai could answer, an evil chuckle rang out. "Aww, how sweet. Together again. For the last time!"

Kenai and Kia pulled apart and glanced at Silver Fang, who was stalking toward them.

His neck was blood soaked, but the wolf didn't seem to care as he approached them, grinning slyly..


	21. Chapter 20: Feelings of Betrayal

Here we are! The 20th chapter. We're almost done, because I decided this would be 21 chapters long. Funny..cause my birthday lands on the 21st of January. LOL..Oh well, enjoy and don't forget to review! D**  
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**Chapter 20: Feelings of Betrayal**

"Well? Where are they?" Tug asked Black Paw, who had stopped and was sniffing the air now.

Black Paw lowered his head and looked at the big bear. "This way! Quick!" he said and ran to the left.

"Right behind you, Black Paw." Tug called, following behind the black and grey wolf.

"Hold on, Mommy, Daddy and Uncle Koda, we're coming !" Kodi called out as they rode on Tug's back.

---

"Kia get behind me." Kenai said, stepping up in front of Kia.

The white bear shook her head. "Kenai, we're both in this together...I'm going to help you fight to the finish."

Kenai looked worriedly at her. "Kia, that's ridiculous. You're already injured from fighting! I don't think you could still possibly have the strength to keep fighting."

Kia smiled grimly at her mate. "Let's just say I'm a fighter. Now come on...let's finish this wolf off. He doesn't look like he has too much energy left..We can take him."

Kenai shrugged, seeing that Kia was not going to let him handle this alone. "Okay Kia. But if you get hurt again I want you to let me do the rest of the fighting. You're too precious for me to lose you."

Kia smiled warmly at Kenai. "Okay hon. I'll do that. For you." she promised.

This said, the two bears turned and started to close in on Silver Fang..

---

Black Paw ran through the forest, following his trusty sense of smell. Something told him that they were getting close to Kenai, Kia and his father. He also smelled another bear. Maybe it was this "Uncle Koda" that the cubs kept mentioning.

"Hurry, this way!" the black wolf instructed, and ran over to a bunch of trees and bushes.

Tug quickly followed with Kodi, his sisters and Aika still on his back.

"Quiet...they're over there. Keep quiet and stay here until I see what's up." Black Paw warned, and Tug nodded silently.

"Black Paw?" Dania whispered, and the black wolf turned to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"Please be very careful and don't get hurt." Dania replied.

Black Paw smiled, his heart touched that somebody cared aside from his mother.

"Don't worry, kiddo. I'll be fine." he assured her, then slowly began to creep closer to Kenai, Kia and Silver Fang. He stayed behind a tree, where he could hear everything that was being said.

"What wonderful luck!" his father, Silver Fang was saying, "Now that you two are together I can finish you both off at the same time. Then I'll go back and take care of those pesky brats you call children! Hahaha!"

"Can't you just put the past behind you and move on?!" Kenai shouted. "You let the past bother you much longer and your life will pass right before your eyes without you even noticing it. Instead of trying to hunt us down and destroy us, you could be settled down with a mate and pups. But no..you just can't let the past go!"

"Actually, I do have a mate and a pup! Right now he's guarding your little brats, who we trapped in a cave." Silver Fang sneered and Kia gasped.

"Don't lay a paw on them!" she snarled as she arched her back stiffly, preparing for attack.

"And tell your pup not to hurt them either!" Kenai warned, baring his teeth.

Silver Fang smirked. "My pup won't touch them. I'm the one that will do all the killing. He's simply watching my victims until I come back."

"How could your son be so cold hearted and evil?!" Kia demanded.

"Trust me, he's not evil. Not at all. My son is only doing this to get me to go home with him."

"And you're going to?" Warner asked, approaching from behind Kenai and Kia.

Silver Fang scowled, appearing unhappy to see him. "Warner...how..nice to see you. You're still as small and weak looking as ever."

"I'm strong enough to take you on!" Warner growled, baring his sharp wolf teeth.

Silver Fang did not look amused. "Yes, yes. Whatever. But...tell me, boy, do I look like the kind of wolf who would keep a promise?" he sneered with an evil chuckle.

Black Paw's eyes widened at these words. His father had lied to him?! He wasn't coming home after all? Crushed, Black Paw listened as his father resumed speaking.

"Once I'm finished here, I'll kill your children. Then it's off to that village..yes the very same one I tried to destroy before. With you out of the way I'll be able to kill the whole village easily." he smirked.

Warner growled, stepping forward. "Not so fast..You'll still have to deal with me!" he snarled.

Silver Fang rolled his eyes. "Then I guess I shall have to kill you too." he said simply. "Now..I've been interrupted many times, and I'm getting very impatient!" he shouted.

His blue grey eyes grew excited as he broke into a run toward Kia. He might as well finish what he'd started with her then go for Kenai, then Warner.

Black Paw watched in horror. He seemed to be struggling with his own thoughts. If his father had betrayed him...and wasn't coming home...There was no way he would be able to get him home!

But- Black Paw glanced back at Tug and the cubs- he had promised these little cubs he'd help save their parents. And now his father was trying to destroy them. '

_'I guess...it's the only thing I can do.' _he thought sadly.

The black and grey wolf raced out of his hiding place and jumped in front of Silver Fang. "Stop!"

Silver Fang skidded to a halt and glanced at his son, bewildered. "Black Paw! What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be guarding the cubs!"

Black Paw glared at his father. "You lied to me." he said solemnly. "You said you were coming home and I actually believed you! But now I see I was so desperate to get you to come back with me that I was willing to do anything to please you. Without even thinking that maybe you were using me! Pops, how could you?!"

Silver Fang growled in annoyance. "Black Paw, you just don't understand. A year ago, these two bears, Kenai and Kia became humans in order to stop a plan of mine. I, along with a whole pack of wolves was going to go destroy a human village."

"Yeah! Mine!" Kenai added angrily.

Silver Fang motioned to Warner. "This guy, Warner. He was in my pack. But then he met these two as humans, and betrayed me!" Silver Fang snarled.

"That's because I realized what you were doing is wrong!" Warner shouted.

"In the end I fell off a cliff with a little girl, but she didn't go as far as I did. I fell down to the ground. Although I was okay, I vowed to get my revenge on -he looked at Kenai and Kia coldly- these two, at all costs!"

---

Back in the bushes, Kodi and his sisters were glancing at Aika wide eyed.

"Our mommy and daddy became humans?!" Kodi cried, almost falling off Tug's back from the shock.

Aika nodded slowly. "Yeah...that village is where I met them..I was a human too."

"Were you the little girl Silver Fang says fell off a cliff with him Aika?" Dania asked in awe.

Aika nodded yet again. "Yeah..I almost died. But the Spirits saved me and made me a bear because nobody in that village cared about me."

"Just one more question." Cherokee said. "How come you never told us about this before?"

Aika smiled sheepishly at the four cubs who stared at her curiously. "Your parents told me not to. They said they would tell you got older. But they never planned on Silver Fang returning so soon or they would've told you sooner.."

"Oh." the four cubs chorused, lost in thought about their parents.

Aika glanced around, realizing that Koda was not with Kenai and Kia. "Koda? Where is that crazy cub?" she muttered aloud.

Then she saw him on the grass, covered in blood.

"Koda! Noooooo!" she cried and before anybody could stop her, Aika jumped down from Tug's back and hurried over to the cub. "Koda, speak to me!" she cried, trying to lick his cuts clean.

The white bear cub nuzzled Koda's cheek, trying to somehow wake him up. But nothing worked. Fearing the worst, Aika burst into tears and wrapped her paws around Koda, crying miserably.

---

Black Paw stared in disbelief at his father. He truly was a killer. Hard to believe he'd ever loved anybody in his lifetime.

"What kind of monster are you?!" the black and grey wolf cried angrily. A lone tear slid down his face and he quickly brushed it away with a paw.

Silver Fang growled at his son. "Enough of this, Black Paw. We'll discuss it later! Now move so I can finish what I started!"

Black Paw glanced back at Kia, who was staring at him, silently pleading with him to help. The black wolf realized they may be bears but they did have that wolf, Warner for a friend. So they must be good bears. Besides, he'd promised their cubs he'd help save them.

Black Paw stomped a paw angrily on the ground and stared at his father. "I won't let you kill them." he said firmly.

Silver Fang glared at his son. "That's enough joking around, Black Paw. Move it!" he shouted.

"No!" Black Paw shouted back. "I'm not going anywhere!"

Silver Fang growled under his breath and muttered something nobody could hear.

Black Paw glared at his father. Surely he would give up with his own son going against him. Right? Wrong.

"Fine then." Silver Fang said. He advanced toward Black Paw slowly. "If you won't help me...if you are going to help them..then I guess I'll just have to kill you too!"

Black Paw's eyes grew wide and he cried out as his own father charged at him and cut him across the chest. _'He really is crazy!'_ Black Paw realized, as he bared his teeth at his father.

"I didn't wanna do this, Pops...but you leave me no choice!" Black Paw rammed himself into Silver Fang, knocking the older wolf back a bit. Then he sank his teeth into one of Silver Fang's paws.

While he did this, Silver Fang raised a paw and slashed it across the back of Black Paw's neck. Black Paw howled with rage and pain and he slammed again into his father.

"I can't believe I ever wanted to be like you!" he shouted angrily, biting into the bigger wolf's neck.

Silver Fang thrashed his head and managed to knock his son onto the ground. "I can't believe it has come to this." he said as he stared down at the black wolf who was his son. "I really do care about you, Black Paw. But... I've come too far now to be stopped, even by the likes of you!"

With this, Silver Fang rolled the black and grey wolf onto his back and tried to bite his neck, but Black Paw kept dodging.

"Leave him alone!" Kenai cried, racing toward Silver Fang.

To his surprise, Black Paw glanced back and shouted, "No Kenai! This isn't your battle anymore. It's gotten too personal. I have to finish my dad."

Tug watched from the bushes. He could see that Black Paw needed help. But the wolf was too stubborn to admit it.

"Kids, stay here." he said, placing the four cubs in the bushes to hide them. "I gotta go help our new friend."

With that, Tug gave a deep roar and charged toward Silver Fang and Black Paw. Before Black Paw could protest, Tug had smacked himself into Silver Fang and knocked to wolf back right to the edge of the cliff.

Silver Fang weakly staggered to his paws, glancing up in pain as Black Paw approached, ready to deliver the last blow.

"Black Paw. Please. Don't do this. Surely you wouldn't kill your own father..your 'Pops'." he said, trying to fool his son.

Black Paw hesitated. "You're not my Pops." he muttered angrily. "Not anymore."

The wolf turned to glance back at Kenai and Kia, who watched him worriedly. This gave Silver fang just enough time to rake his claw across one of Black Paw's forepaws.

The wolf cried out in shocked anger and smacked the grey wolf with his paw.

"If Mom ever asks, I'll say I never found you...I wish I never had." Black Paw muttered angrily, then gave Silver Fang a push..sending him falling off the cliff to his death, screaming.

Kenai, Kia, Warner and Tug all hurried over to Black Paw, who was panting hard.

They looked down below, but saw no sign that Silver Fang had survived.

He was gone.


	22. Chapter 21: The Family is Reunited

Here we go! The final chapter of "The Return of Silver Fang". I would appreciate it if after you finish reading this, you tell me in your review what your favorite chapter was, and if you think that this sequel was as good as the original or even if it was better. And since I'm finally over my bad writer's block, I want to write. Only thing is I don't have any good ideas right now..if you have any ideas for another Kenai/Kia fan fic you think I should write, tell me about that in the review too. I'd be happy to listen to any suggestions :)

**Chapter 21: The Family is Reunited**

"That's it. He's gone." Black Paw muttered.

Kia looked sympathetically at the wolf. "Black Paw..I'm sorry. Silver Fang may have been evil but he was still your dad. I'm sorry it had to be this way."

Black Paw turned and smiled a bit at Kia. "It's okay, Kia. In fact, I'm glad I found him again and learned the truth about him. Otherwise I'd have spent my whole life wanting to find the 'loving' father who I'd always wanted to be like."

"Where will you go now?" Kenai asked.

The black and grey wolf shrugged. "Back to my mother. She wasn't in very good health, so she asked me to find Pops and bring him back to help care for her."

"Why didn't you tell your dad that?" Warner asked, surprised.

Black Paw frowned. "Once I found out my father's plans, I completely forgot about the main reason I needed him home. Don't worry, though. I'm a strong wolf. I'll care for my Mother, and catch her something to eat. She'll get her strength back up in no time. It was nice meeting you- though I'm sorry it was under these circumstances."

The black and grey wolf turned to go, but Kia called him. "Wait! We have to show you our appreciation for what you've done for us. I know! Come back with us to the Salmon Run, and we'll catch some fish for you and your mother." she offered with a smile.

Kenai grinned at his mate. That was a wonderful way to say thank you, and it would also help their new friend.

Black Paw turned and glanced from Kenai to Kia in surprise. "You'd do that? For me? After all the trouble I've caused?"

"Of course we will, Black Paw. You may have started out trying to be evil, but you're not like your father was. You're kind and you know what's right from wrong." Kenai said to the wolf.

Black Paw beamed. "Wow! Thanks! Okay, I'd love to come back with you guys..as long as the other bears there don't uh...attack me." he said nervously.

Tug looked at Black Paw. "Don't worry. You'll be safe. I'll tell the other bears you mean no harm."

Kia turned to Warner. "Hear that? That means you can come too, if you want." she said.

Warner smiled. "Sure, I'd love to!" he said.

Kia smiled with happiness. As she glanced around, she spotted Aika with Koda. "Oh no.." she mumbled, walking over to them. "Aika? Is he...ok?"

Aika glanced up, and sniffled. "I don't know, Kia. He hasn't said a word or even moved." she said in a sob.

Kia hung her head. "I was afraid of that." she said with a sigh. A tear streamed down her face as she lowered her head and nuzzled Koda's cheek.

Tears began to stream more rapidly down Kia's face. One hit Koda on the nose, and to Kia's surprise, the bear cub's ears twitched, and his nose moved. Aika and Kia both stared at Koda hopefully.

"Koda...?" they both said.

The cub didn't move again, but he did groan. Aika, suddenly getting a brilliant idea, looked at Kia. "I'll be right back!" she said.

The bear cub raced off until she found a berry bush. She bit a whole branch then hurried back to Kia and Koda. "I have an idea." she said when Kia looked at her suspiciously.

The white and brown bear cub waved the branch over Koda's nose. The cub started to sniff the branch.

Then to everyone's amazement, Koda slowly sat up and glanced around. "Hey...I thought I smelled berries." he said softly, groaning a little.

Aika laughed. "You did! Here." she gave him the branch.

Kia turned and called Kenai. "Kenai, Koda's okay!" she cried.

Kenai heard this and came running over. "Koda!" he called out. When he got to them, Kenai, Kia and Aika hugged Koda warmly.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Kia cried.

"Me too!" Aika chimed in.

Then Koda remembered Silver Fang. "Wait, where's Silver Fang?" he asked. The cub glanced around and spotted Black Paw. "And who's that guy?!" he cried.

Kia and Kenai laughed. "It's kinda a long story, little brother. We'll tell you all about it on the way home." Kenai said, giving Koda a noogie.

Kia and Aika laughed as Koda stuck his tongue out at Kenai playfully and then fixed his messed up hair.

Then Tug approached Kenai and Kia with Warner and Black Paw behind him. "Excuse me for interrupting...but there are four adorable little cubs who want to see you very badly." he said, motioning to the bushes. "Come on out, kids. It's safe!"

Kia and Kenai turned just in time to be pounced by Kodi, Dania, Cherokee and Aquene.

"Oh thank the Spirits yo're all okay!" Kia cried, hugging each cub, one at a time.

Aquene hugged Kenai. "Daddy, I was so afraid I was never gonna see you again!" she cried, little tears forming in her big brown eyes.

Kenai smiled gently and nuzzled his daughter's cheek. "It's okay, Aquene. You're safe now. Daddy's got you, and I'll never let you go." he said, picking her up and hugging her protectively.

"Uncle Koda!" Kodi cried, jumping onto his uncle and licking his face. Then the cub remembered that his uncle might still be mad at him, and he backed away, glancing down at his paws sadly.

Koda looked at the cub and smiled. "It's okay, Kodi. Come here." he said, and Kodi ran into Koda's arms.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." Koda said, nuzzling his little nephew's cheek. "I didn't mean to. I was just trying to tell Aika something very important when you pushed me in the water. Can you ever forgive me?"

Kodi nodded, smilngi happily. "Of course! I love you, Uncle Koda." he said, hugging Koda even more.

"Mommy, are you okay?" Dania cried, seeing her mother's many injuries.

Kia laughed and scooped the white and grey cub into her arms. "I'm going to be just fine, Dania. Don't worry."

Dania smiled. "That's good..I sure did miss you, Mommy!" she said, nuzzling her mother's fur.

Kia smiled at Kenai, who was hugging Aquene and Cherokee. It was then that she realized Kodi was missing. _'Where has he gotten to now?'_ she wondered. Then the white bear saw him, hugging Koda. Apparently they'd made up. That was good.

A soft, happy smile spread across Kia's face.

"Now that we're all back together, safe and sound," Kenai began, looking from his cubs, to Kia, then Koda, Aika and Tug, "Let's go home." he turned and looked at Black Paw and Warner. "All of us."

Everyone cheered and agreed enthusiastically with this. "I think maybe I'll ride this time." Koda said, still weak from his injuries.

Kenai smiled and nodded his head. "Hop on, little brother." he said, crouching down low for Koda to climb onto his back.

"Thanks, Kenai." Koda said, carefully getting up onto Kenai's back and laying down.

Kenai grinned and stood back up. "You're welcome, Koda."

Kenai looked at Kia and she nodded. Kenai looked back at Koda and sighed. "Listen...I'm sorry for what I said to you and Aika earlier. I was just so worried about the cubs, I forgot that you and Aika are still cubs too, and you still make mistakes. So anyway...forgive me?"

Koda smiled. "Of course." he said, hugging his brother's back.

"Yeah, we forgive you, Kenai." Aika said, hugging one of Kenai's paws.

Kia smiled at this. Thank goodness all the bitter feelings were gone.

All of a sudden, Kodi glanced up and saw his uncle on Kenai's back. "Hey! I want a ride too!" he shouted.

"Me too!" Cherokee, Dania and Aquene chorused.

Kia groaned. Not this again!

"Hey, anybody want a ride on a wolf?" came a voice. "Make that two wolves."

The cubs turned and saw Black Paw and Warner crouched down. "Hop on!" they both said.

Dania looked back at Kia. "Mommy..should I?"

Kia smiled and gave her daughter a gentle nudge with her nose. "Go on!"

Dania giggled and started over to Warner.

Warner saw this and smiled. "Come on, I won't bite!" he said. "Well, not as long as you don't pull my ears." he teased, making the white and grey cub laugh as she got onto his back.

"Then I won't pull your ears, Mr. Warner sir." she said.

Warner groaned. "Please, call me Warner!"

Everybody laughed. Then Kia glanced around. "Are we all ready to go?" she asked, seeing Aquene on Black Paw's back, Dania on Warner's, and Kodi and Cherokee on her own.

Kenai smiled at his mate. "Let's go, love." he said.

"Okay." Kia replied, smiling back at him as they started out for the Salmon Run.

---

Warner, Black Paw, Tug and the cubs sat in front of Kenai and Kia's cave, waiting for them to come out of the river. They had gotten back to the Salmon Run, and as promised, Kenai and Kia had gone off to catch Black Paw some salmon for him and his mother.

"Heads up!" shouted Kia, and Kenai, throwing a big pile offish up in front of Black Paw. Then the two came out of the river and shook themselves dry.

Kenai looked at Black Paw, who was staring at the big fish in awe. "You think that will be good enough for awhile?" he asked.

"Will it ever!" Black Paw exclaimed. "But..How am I supposed to carry all these?"

Kenai thought for a second. "Hmm.." then he had an idea. "Wait here!" he said, then ran into the forest.

_'I know I saw it here somewhere..' _the bear thought, glancing around. Then he spotted it. A trap in the form of a big net. "Aha!"

Being ever so careful, Kenai pulled the net from the trap and then dragged it back to the Salmon Run. "Here you go, Black Paw. Just put them in this!" he said, placing the salmon inside the net.

"What a clever idea, Kenai!" Kia said appreciatively.

Kenai winked at her. "Well I was once human, wasn't I?" he smirked.

Black Paw smiled and hugged both Kenai and Kia. "Thanks you guy! This is great. Thanks to you guys, I have enough fish to see that my mother will survive. Thank you soo much!"

Kenai and Kia beamed. "Hey, anything to help a new friend!" they said.

Black Paw picked up the end of the net in his mouth. "Well I'd better be going. Mom's still waiting for me." he said.

Kenai and Kia nodded. "Okay." they waved as the wolf started off. "Goodbye!"

Black paw turned around and waved at everyone, smiling. "Goodbye and thank you again!"

"You're welcome here anytime!" Kia said.

When Black Paw had gone, Tug suddenly spoke up. "Hey! We still have 14 salmon here that Aika had me catch just to give Koda time to sneak off."

_'So that's how he did it.'_ thought Kenai, hiding a laugh. He glanced around but didn't see Koda. Or Aika. They must have gone off together.

"So.." Tug continued, "Who wants salmon?" Laughing, the big black bear went inside the cave and came back with a big pile of salmon.

"Everybody dig in!" he invited, eating a salmon as he spoke.

Kia and Kenai both grabbed a salmon, only to see it was the same one. They laughed and ate it together, then Kenai nose kissed Kia warmly.

"I love you..and I'm sorry I was such a jerk to-"

Kia shoved a salmon in her mate's mouth. "Forget about it, Kenai. The past is in the past, as it should be." she nuzzled him. "I love you too." she said softly.

---

Aika and Koda were sitting at the top of a high waterfall, gazing up as the Spirits started to streak through the sky.

"Aika, so there's a reason I asked you here. I..err.." Koda stammered. He sighed.

This was his big chance. All alone with Aika for a change. So why was it so hard to tell her three simple words? Because they were dangerous words, he realized.

Aika twisted her head around to look at Koda. "Just take a deep breath and say it." she said, trying to help him. She had a feeling he was going to say what she wanted to say.

Koda gulped, but nodded. He took a deep breath, then let it out. "Okay..here goes. Aika, I love you." Koda said.

He smiled broadly as he realized he'd finally said it. The cub glanced over at Aika for her reaction. He saw to his surprise that she was blushing.

"Aika? Is something wrong?" he asked, beginning to regret that he'd said these three words.

Aika shook her head and did a double take. "Wha? No, no. It's just...Koda...I love you too." she said shyly and licked his cheek.

A big grin spread across Koda's face and he put his paw around her shoulders. "Really?" he asked happily.

Aika smiled at him warmly. "Really, she said, nuzzling him under the chin.

Koda and Aika smiled at each other, but couldn't think of another thing to say. So they just sat there together, watching the Spirits until it was time to head back to the cave.

---

Later that night, Kenai lay outside the cave, waiting for Kia. Everybody else was in bed, but the white and brown grizzly had insisted on going for a quick swim.

"It'll help my injuries." she had said when he'd asked why.

The brown bear sighed. Where was Kia? Kenai got to his paws and began to tap his fore paw impatiently. He didn't want to go to sleep until he knew she was safe and in the cave with him, Koda, Aika and their cubs.

Just as Kenai was debating whther he should go out searching, Kia appeared and ran over to him.

"Kenai! You'll never guess what happened!"

"There you are!" Kenai cried, hugging his mate. Then he blinked and glanced at her worriedly. "What happened?" he asked, concerned.

Kia smiled at him. "Nothing bad. It's just, while I was swimming, I was visited by the spirit of my mother. We talked for a few minutes, and then she told me why she came. Kenai, we're going to have even more children!"

Kenai looked happy but then his smile faded. "But..the average bear can't have more than four cubs." he said worriedly. "Not without dying."

Kia grinned. "Exactly! My mother says that she wants us to have as big a family as we desire. She says we've been through too much in these past days to have even lived through it all. So she gave me the power to give birth to as many cubs as we want. Sure, I'll be tired, naturally, but I won't die. Isn't that great, Kenai?" Kia beamed.

Then she frowned. "Kenai?"

The brown grizzly had let go of her and collapsed onto his back.

The white and brown bear waved one paw in front of his face. "Kenai..you okay?" she asked.

Kenai quickly sprang up to his paws. "Are you kidding me, Kia? I've never been better!" he said.

The brown bear thrust his paws around Kia, hugging her.

Kia smiled. "Well, I hope you're ready for a bigger family." she said softly.

Kenai smiled affectionately at his mate. "Now that Silver Fang is gone, I feel like I'm ready for anything. Just as long as you're there with me."

Kia nose kissed her husband. "I promise, I will always be with you." she said softly.

"That's some of the best news I've heard all day." Kenai said softly, nuzzling his beautiful mate.

Kia lay down beside her mate, and gazed up at the stars. "They're so beautiful." she said, then yawned. "Goodnight, Kenai." the white bear said then fell asleep at his side.

Kenai smiled at her. "Yeah. You sure are beautiful. Goodnight, Kia." The brown bear laid his chin on the sow's shoulder and smiled.

They'd been through so much these past few days. Sure there'd been struggles, but they seemed to have just brought him and Kia closer.

Kenai smiled as his eyes began to close. He wondered if the future held even more struggles. He sure hoped so, because then he and Kia would just continue to grow closer. The brown bear sighed contentedly, then closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.


End file.
